


Silver Winter

by InsertsAddict



Category: Frozen (2013), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 03:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19899427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsertsAddict/pseuds/InsertsAddict
Summary: In the kingdom of Arendelle, far to the North, is a unique royal family. Their oldest child, Silver, has a strange magic he keeps hidden, and their youngest, you, is an adopted human. When Silver's magic is unveiled after he takes the throne and he flees from the castle, you set out on a quest to bring him home. On the way, you just might find answers, and maybe even love.A reader insert based off of Frozen. Not a musical.





	1. Happy Childhood

**Author's Note:**

> So this was an idea that popped into my head. Still unsure about it, but I wrote it, so I may as well post it. I hope that you enjoy!

You lay in bed, eyes closed, trying to ignore the weight that was on your stomach, and the person who was shaking your shoulders. “[y/n], wake up! C'mon!,” they said in a not-so-quiet whisper.

Groaning, you opened your eyes, looking into piercing golden ones right in front of you. “What is it, Silver?,” you mumbled, stifling a yawn.

The short, white-furred hedgehog sitting on your torso grinned. “Let's go play, [y/n]! The sky is awake, so I'm awake, so I woke you, so let's play!” You glanced out your window at the shimmering Northern lights, grumbling internally about them.

You sighed, rolling back onto your side and knocking Silver off you. “Can't you play by yourself until morning?,” you grumbled.

Silver pouted. “But…it's no fun if there's no one to play with.”

You closed your eyes. No, no, no, you would not let him guilt you with those pitiful eyes of his…soft and golden, the corners wrinkling as his pupils widened…

With a sigh, you sat up. “Alright. I'm guessing you want to do…something with your magic,” you said as you slid out of bed. You shivered at the cold air, bit quickly adjusted. Silver's face it up in a smile, and he grabbed onto your wrist, dragging you after him.

You laughed at the high speeds you traveled at. You would marvel at the feats your family could perform. Dad could run at high speeds, and Mom possessed telekinesis. Silver had both of these abilities, as well as something that was…much rarer, even among Mobians.

Silver leapt into the air once the two of you reached the staircase, and the two of you floated down gently, surrounded by a light blue aura. Giggling, Silver ran to the ballroom doors and opened them, pulling you quickly inside.

Out of everything you’d seen Mobians do, Silver's gift was always something that fascinated you, even to this day. He grinned at you warmly, an expression you readily returned. “Are you ready?,” he said, bouncing on his heels.

You swiftly nodded. He narrowed his eyes and circled his hands over each other. Your gaze was fixed on the ball of blue and white magic forming between his hands, sparkling brightly. Silver threw the ball into the air. Just before it reached the ceiling, it exploded, and snowflakes fell softly on the two of you.

You beamed and clapped your hands, which caused him to puff up with pride. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he shot a burst of magic at a corner of the room, causing a large pile of snow to appear. He ran towards it, diving in.

His head popped out, covered in snow. “C'mon, [y/n]! It's fun!”

Your smile wavered. “I'm…not sure, Silver.” You glanced between him, cheerful in the snowdrift, and your own arms. No fur or scales, or any protection. Only the fabric of your pajamas would keep out the cold of the snow. You were…

Your thoughts were cut off when you were lifted into the air in a blue aura and plopped into the snow next to Silver. “That's…that's cheating, Silver!,” you laughed, throwing a snowball at him.

He caught it with his psychokinesis and threw it right back at you, laughing as you wiped the snow off of your face. “Let's build a snow Mobian, [y/n]!,” he said cheerfully, gathering snow within a light blue aura.

Inside the aura, it turned into what was roughly body shape of a Mobian, with a simple torso, arms, and legs, and an indistinct head. “What do you want it to be, [y/n]?,” asked Silver.

You pursued your lips in thought, picking up some of the snow in front of you. You were able to quickly and easily mold it into a long, thin oval. “How about a Rabbit?,” you said, placing the oval on one side of the snow Mobian's head. Silver quickly formed another ear with his hands and placed it on.

The two of you dug a face with your fingers, forming large eyes and a happy smile. You packed snow onto its torso and shoulders, sculpting a simple dress. The two of you stepped back to look at your creation. “Her name is Cream,” announced Silver from beside you. “And she's sweet and nice, and likes warm hugs!”

“Sort of like you, Silver,” you said, ruffling his quills with a chuckle. He beamed at you and embraced you in a hug, which you returned.

The two of you, carrying Cream along with you, had a snowball fight in the snowdrift, skated around on the ice-covered floor Silver had made, and slid down a slide of packed snow, the time simply flying by. The two of you started an ice hockey game, with large icicles for sticks and a frozen snowball as a puck.

You blocked a shot made by Silver, and swung your stick in an arc to give it a good whack. The snowball zipped to the far side of the room, making you grin in triumph. But your feet continued to slide forward from when you had reared back for your swing.

You began to flail as you slipped forward. Frantically, you tried using your stick to balance yourself, but you ended up sending yourself sliding right, and tripping over the end of the stick.

“[y/n]!,” cried Silver, outstretching his hand and firing a burst of magic. _A snowdrift_ , you thought in your shocked state, _like that time I fell out of the tree we were climbing._

You smiled, feeling safe. You yelped when a cold, sharp pain came into your right eye, and felt your body hit the icy floor. For a second, all you could feel was the cold. Then, there was only darkness.

* * *

“[Y/N]!,” Silver cried as he scurried to your side. “[y/n], open your eyes, please,” he begged as he clutched [y/n]’s unconscious form, tears forming in his eyes. A strand of your hair began to turn a stark white, and you were starting to shiver. Silver began panicking, and frost started to creep across all the surfaces of the ballroom, toppling all the snow structures he had made, including Cream.

The doors burst open, and a hedgehog with dark brown fur ran in, barely stopping from skidding on the ice. “Silver, what happened?,” he demanded.

Silver sniffled. “[y/n]…[y/n] and I were playing w-with magic, and then she slipped and…” He sniffed again. “I'm sorry, Dad!”

As his dad came over to check on the both of them, a hedgehog with light brown fur, wearing a sky blue dress, floated in, carried by a light blue aura. “What happened? Is everything…” she trailed off with a gasp when she saw the other two hedgehogs leaning over you.

“I didn't mean to, Mom!,” cried Silver as she floated over to them.

“We know, son,” said his father gently, hugging him.

“She's as cold as ice,” said his mother, feeling your forehead.

His father's face set into a stern expression. “I know who we can go to. Prepare to leave, and I will meet you at the palace gates,” he commanded, dashing out of the room. Silver's mother grabbed the children in her aura and carried herself and them out of the room, heading towards the stables.

Just as she had mounted her horse, positioning you in her lap, her husband came running back, carrying a piece of paper. “Can you keep up, Silver?,” he asked. Silver nodded briskly, a frown set on his face.

“Quickly!,” his father said, running out of the gates at high speed. Silver followed behind him, while his mother urged her horse into a quick trot, following the two of them. Silver glanced down at his hands. They were shaking, and his magic was pouring out of them onto the ground, creating a trail of frost. He clenched his hands into fists, but his magic just kept pouring out, as his concern and worry grew.

In minutes, they were out of the kingdom and deep inside the woods. They had slowed down, so as to not trip over anything in the dark, but we’re still traveling at a good pace. Silver swore he saw a dark hedgehog in the corner of his eyes at one point, but when he turned to look, there was no one there.

Soon, they reached a clearing, surrounded by round rocks covered in moss. His father glanced at the paper he was holding, then looked around the clearing. “We need help, please! It's our daughter!,” he announced to the clearing.

The rocks around them began to shake and roll towards the group. Silver took a step back, readying his telekinesis. His mother floated down to his side, holding [y/n]. The family watched in silence as the rocks rolled right in front of them.

Silver relaxed when the rocks unfurled, showing that they were strange creatures, about with height, but much thicker than he, with rock-like, moss-covered skin. “Trolls?,” he whispered in amazement. One nodded to him, confirming his statement. 

Another troll looked up at his father and gasped, “It's the king.” The group of them began to murmur amongst themselves. They became silent and parted as another troll rolled forward, coming up to the royal family and unfurling. Silver noticed he was a much older troll than the others.

“Please, we need your help,” his father said. “The book said trolls were good at dealing with…magic.”

His mother knelt down, holding [y/n] out for him to see. The elder troll placed a hand on your forehead, flinching at the cold. He reached out to grab Silver's hand, inspecting his gloved fingers. “Born with these powers, or cursed?,” he asked.

“Born,” answered Silver proudly.

The elder troll hummed and turned back to [y/n]. “You are lucky it was her head,” he declared, “It is not difficult to fix, unlike the heart.” He placed his hand on your forehead again. He closed his eyes, and shimmering images began to appear above you. Silver gasped as he saw all the times you and he had played together, with him using his magic.

“The only way to fix this is to remove _all_ magic. Even memories,” said the troll. The images shifted, showing pictures of Silver and [y/n] playing in the snow, without Silver using his powers. “Don't worry. I've left all the memories of the fun you shared,” he explained.

The wispy images curled back inside your head, the elder troll holding a ball of sparkling magic in hand. Silver watched as you sighed in contentment, a smile forming on your face as you stopped shivering.

“But…she won’t remember my magic,” said Silver sadly.

His father laid a hand on his shoulder. “It's for the best,” he said quietly.

“Young prince,” said the troll, showing a blue magic image of an older Silver surrounded by cheering Mobians, using his magic. “Your gift is powerful, and can be used to help many. But if you do not learn how to control it…” The image turned red, and the other Mobians leapt at Silver, who was cowering. “Fear will be your enemy,” the troll said as the image faded.

Silver's eyes widened, and he audibly gulped. The king stepped forward and bowed to the elder troll. “Thank you,” he said. He began to leave the clearing, the queen mounting her horse and trotting after him. She pulled Silver up in front of her when he noticed he hadn't moved.

Silver sighed and nestled himself against his mother and you. When they were out of the clearing, the king slowed down so he was walking by their side.

“Silver. You mustn't tell [y/n] of your magic until you have mastered your abilities,” he said. Silver nodded sadly. “And what's more, we'll reduce the staff and keep out the public until you're fully ready. Keep you away from any danger.”

“We'll protect you, Silver,” his mother whispered, hugging him against her chest.

* * *

The king and queen kept their word. Within the week, as [y/n] was made to stay in bed recovering, they had reduced the staff to the minimum amount needed to run the castle, and had ordered the palace gates to remain shut.

Silver had watched them shut the gates from his bedroom window, twisting the gold rings that were on his wrists. His parents had given them to him on the night of the incident, after coming home. “They're power reducers,” explained his mother. “Given to children with very strong abilities when they're young, until they've mastered their powers.”

“Keep them on until you have full control over your magic,” his father said as he helped Silver put them on.

In the present, he was alone in his room, clinging to the rings. “Conceal it, Silver,” he murmured to himself as the gates slammed shut. “My emotions have reign over my magic. I must take that control back. Even if I have to put my emotions aside,” he whispered.

_Even if I have to push them away…_


	2. The Growing Distance

You jumped out of bed eagerly. You had been told that you had caught a cold playing with Silver outside in the snow, and your parents had forced you to stay in bed for a week recovering. Even though you protested that you were fine, you still had to stay in your room.

But mom and dad would bring you books to read, and they told you about the reduced staff, and about the new castle policy, that the gates were you remain shut, the public kept out of the castle. At first, you protested, 

“What about Sonic and Knuckles?” They were princes around your age from some neighboring kingdoms, who you and Silver would see on occasion, and who you considered friends. Even if they didn't visit often, their visits were always welcome in your eyes. Your parents reassured you that the policy was only temporary, so you stopped protesting. A temporary policy was confusing, but at least you could see them again sometime soon.

But every time they came, the one thing you did continue to ask was,

“How is Silver?”

They would become quiet and exchange glances each time you asked, before telling you that nothing was wrong. You knew something was up—if there was nothing wrong, they wouldn't have hesitated like that.

And that's why, when your week of rest was up, you jumped out of bed and ran straight to the door of Silver's room. You gawked at the closed door. Silver almost never closed his door.

You knocked. “Silver? Is everything okay?”

For a second, silence. Then he responded , “Yes, I…I'm fine.”

You raised an eyebrow. In the rare instances his door was closed , he usually opened it to talk with you. “Do you want to go eat breakfast together?,” you asked cheerfully, wanting to draw him out.

“No, I-I already ate, [y/n],” he said.

You began to walk away, trying to think of a way to get him out. _How does he always drag me out of my bed?,_ you thought to yourself. _He gives me pitiful eyes…that won't work, the donor’s closed…He lifts me out with telekinesis…I don't have that…He invites me to play…_

Grinning, you ran back to the door. “Silver, do you want to go out and build a snow Mobian?,” you asked. That was one of his favorite things to do…

“NO!,” he shouted, making you jump into the air. He coughed. “Please leave me alone, [y/n].”

“…Okay,” you said sadly, trudging down the hall. You knew something was going on. Silver was normally the one who begged you to come play with him, and your parents had adopted a new policy that was unlike them. Something was definitely wrong, and you wanted answers.

If you got Silver out of his room, he would tell you. You were best friends, and you told each other everything!

* * *

Next week, you came back to his door again. Every day, you had come to talk to him, but this time, you brought a book with you. You knocked on the door.

“Silver, the snow outside looks great for building things. Even if you don't want to make a snow Mobian, do you want to build a snow fort?,” you asked. “I found this book on architecture, and I found out the best support structures are triangles and arches. We could incorporate those and build an indestructible fortress!”

“No, thank you,” Silver responded. 

“We could go horseback riding! We still have that sled I could pull you in. Or we sneak out our bikes to ride in the halls! Remember when we did that, how fun it was?” You decided to not mention how that idea of Silver's had ended with you both falling in a bruised heap down the stairs.

“I'm a little busy right now, [y/n]. Can we talk at dinner?”

“Okay,” you mumbled. Just before you left, you turned back to say, “Happy Seventh Birthday, Silver.”

He didn’t respond. And he had his birthday dinner brought to him in his room, not talking to anyone.

* * *

Five years later, you were now ten years old. You were about as tall as your parents, and taller than Silver. That's what you thought, anyway, with how little you saw of him.

You were standing outside of his door again, as you had done every day. This time you had a pile of board and card games in your hands. “C'mon, Silver,” you whined, “even if you don't wanna come out, could we at least play Battleship or something through the door?”

“No, [y/n].”

“I've got Monopoly, too. Candy Land, Sorry…”

“I'm busy, [y/n],” he said. “Come back later.”

“Is later ever going to come?,” you mumbled under your breath as you walked away.

You didn't go back the next day, choosing to look at some of the family paintings instead to while away your time. Looking at them made you feel…awkward, and made you miss Silver more. You decided to spend more time in the library.

* * *

When you were fifteen years old, you were taller than everyone else in the castle. The servants were nervous around you, especially since you tended to dash off towards the library, or other rooms in the castle, randomly these days.

Over time, your trips to Silver's door became less frequent, though you always came back eventually. But after a while, you had learned that he did something with your parents in the library, and you were determined to catch him outside of his room. Sometimes you would hide in the room, wanting to see what they did, but your parents always ushered you to the other side of the castle before he came. 

Sometimes you just had a feeling he was there, or in some other room, and ran in that direction, startling the staff. A lot of times you were wrong.

This seemed to be your lucky day, though, as while you ran to the library, Silver burst out, his fists clenched, looking upset.

“Silver!,” you cried out, waving.

His eyes widened as he saw you, and he zipped past you at super speed, too fast for you to catch him. A distance away, you could hear his door slam shut with a click as he locked it. You walked into the library, seeing your parents with sad expressions.

“Mom? Dad? What's going on?”

They looked up at you. Your mom said, “It's…nothing, sweetie. Don't worry about it.”

Your dad nodded. “She's right. Can we help you find a book, [y/n]? You were reading about old prophecies last time you were in here, right?”

“Yes. But I have most of those books in my room, so I don't need any more. Thank you, though,” you responded. Your parents looked up at you with worry. 

“Unless you have something on distant brothers,” you mumbled under your breath as you walked back to your room. You didn't stop by Silver's door that day.

* * *

Two years later, at seventeen years old, you stood in the palace courtyard, with Silver standing by your side. However, your attention was on your parents, who were dressed in their regal attire, your mind processing what they'd just said.

“You're _leaving_?,” Silver asked, looking terribly upset.

Your mother nodded, your father saying, “I know this is short notice, but we were only just informed of this meeting. We'll only be gone for two weeks. And we _must_ go to discuss a treaty with the nearby kingdoms. Several have been dealing with strange enemies, and we need to make an appearance to our allies anyway.”

Your mother reached out to touch Silver's shoulder, but he pulled away. “This will be good for you,” she said kindly. Silver shook his head and took a step back, crossing his arms as he glared at them.

You pulled both of your parents up into a hug, being much taller than them. “Be safe, okay?,” you told them. They laughed.

“Silver, [y/n], the cabinet will run things while we're gone. They might ask you to watch them work,” your father said as he turned to leave, waving.

“…Come back soon,” said Silver, giving a small wave.

Once they had gone through the gates, they were shut closed again. You said, “So, Silver, why don't we—" Silver had already run off. “Oh.”

A bit saddened, you went back into the castle, headed towards the library. You passed by Silver's closed door on the way. You paused for a second, ready to knock, but shook your head and turned away. In the library, though you tried to distract yourself with stories of adventure and legends of old, your mind still wandered back to your brother.

* * *

_Dear Prince Silver and Princess [y/n] of Arendelle,_

_It is with much sorrow that we inform your that on your parents' return journey by sea, a great storm came, and the ship sank into the ocean. There were no survivors._

_Please know that we will help you in any way you require. Not only in politics, but many of us will help you personally through these trying times if you desire. It may be difficult, as Silver is eighteen, and can be crowned next year as king. As this is quite soon, especially during mourning, please tell us if either of you require help._

_Have courage, your majesties. It will help you through these times more than anything else._

_Our Condolences,_

_The Unified Delegation of Kingdoms_

You read through the letter again. And again. Surely you must have read it wrong. Surely your parents weren't…the letter crinkled in your tight grip.

Blinking back tears, you went to Silver's door. You knocked on it lightly. “S-silver? I have a letter. Mom and Dad…” Choking on your words, you sighed and slid the letter under his door. “Just…read it. And remember that….that I'm here for you, too.”

You waited as you heard him pick up the letter. When he didn't say anything, you began to slowly walk away. It wasn't long before one of the advisors of the cabinet, a lilac hedgehog, came up to you.

“Princess, I…I'm sorry for your loss,” he said with a bow. He looked up to look you in the eyes. “The cabinet sent me to tell you and the Prince that we're handling the arrangements for the…funeral. You and the Prince needn't worry,” he said.

You nodded, blinking quickly. “A-alright. Make sure to tell Silver, too. But maybe just…give him a little more time? Before we talk about it?”

“I already heard,” Silver said flatly from his room. “The cabinet may do whatever it needs to.”

“T-Thank you, Prince Silver. I'm sorry for your loss,” squeaked the advisor before running back down the hallway.

You went back to Silver's door. “Like I said, Silver…I'm here for you. If you need me.”

No response. You walked away again, not particularly caring where you were going.

* * *

The day of the funeral was gloomy, with thick grey clouds covering the sky. The entire kingdom had come, and several people had stood at the pulpit and talked of how they were kind and benevolent rulers, holding their family and kingdom close in their hearts.

Standing there, in front of everyone, even as you spoke about the pain losing them caused you, about how much they had meant to you, you felt…nothing. You simply felt numb to what was going on. There was simply too much sadness and pain for you to bear. You had lost your parents, and your brother had locked himself in his room after he received the news, refusing to come out or say anything.

After the ceremony, you trudged back into the castle. You didn't have a destination in mind, but you ended up in front of Silver's room.

You raised a fist to knock, but instead sighed and leaned against the cold wood of the door. “There's only us now, Silver,” you whispered. At those words, everything hit you at once. Tears welled in your eyes as you asked, “What are we going to do?”

You buried your face in your arms and cried.

* * *

Inside, Silver leaned against his door. The floor and walls of his room were covered by ice, and snowflakes hung suspended in the air around him. They had been made when he got the news of his parents, and had stayed there through two nights and days. He had kept his door locked the whole time, fearing that someone could see it.

But that fear was only a dull memory, a regular habit, compared to the searing pain of loss that he felt.

His ears flicked as he heard you crying. He wanted to comfort you, but he was afraid of hurting you, unable as he was to control his magic right now. He wanted to at least answer back, but…

He didn't have an answer to give.

He, too, buried his face in his arms, feeling a wave of sorrow rush over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell, there's no songs in this work--mostly because I couldn't modify all the songs to match my story and still keep the rhythm in an acceptable way.
> 
> So this chapter mainly acts as a time skip, where you can start to see how you, the reader, are affected by Silver distancing himself. This will come up later.
> 
> I'm pretty sure most Mobians are shorter than humans. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but if I am, I guess in this story all the Mobians in the North are just short.


	3. Anticipation

A knocking sound echoed around in your head. You groaned in response. The knocking grew louder.

“Whazzit?,” you grumbled, lifting your head from your pillow.

“Princess [y/n], were you still asleep?,” came a voice from outside your room.

“Yeessss,” you hissed tiredly as you patted down your wild bedhead. You ended up knocking the book that had been laying on your chest onto the floor.

“My apologizes, but I thought you would want to be woken up before the coronation ceremony,” the voice from outside said.

“Coronation…” you picked up last night's book, glancing at the title: _History of Coronation Traditions_. You had grabbed it yesterday to skim because…

“Silver's coronation is today!,” you shouted. You jumped out of your bed and quickly changed into the dress that had been tailor made for you, which was, naturally, primarily your favorite color, with some accents of your second favorite color.

You burst out of your room, running a hairbrush quickly through your hair. “What time is it? Am I late?,” you asked the cyan cat standing just outside.

He jumped. “No, of course not, your majesty. The ceremony won't start for another hour,” he reassured you.

“Still, best to get ready quickly!,” you said. You jogged lightly down the hall, headed towards the kitchens. On your way there, you meet a group of servants, all carrying tall piles of plates.

“Could I help with those?,” you asked, wringing your hands.

One of them chuckled lightly. “No, Princess [y/n]. We've got this. You just worry about getting ready for the ceremony.”

“I just want things to go well,” you said. “It's the first time in years the castle is being opened up to guests…and the first time Silver is coming out of his room for more than an hour.”

The others laughed. “We understand, your majesty. We have things under control,” the same one from before called over her shoulder as they went around the corner.

You continued on your way to the kitchen, opening up the curtains as you went. “It's much more cheerful with more light let in,” you said to yourself.

Soon, you arrived in the kitchens. “Good morning, Princess!,” called the chef. “I was about to send your breakfast up to your room.”

“Well, I can just take that off your hands,” you said, grabbing your usual morning meal. While eating, you asked him, “Could I deliver Silver's?”

He shook his head. “Prince Silver woke up and received his breakfast hours ago. He's been hiding in his room since,” he responded.

You scarfed down the rest of your meal and shrugged. “Ah well. I can swing by his room anyway.”

* * *

Silver took in a deep breath, straightening the bow tie he was wearing. He had put on a royal blue suit and bow tie, and used a thin silver rope to tie his quills back. He was wearing his standard white gloves, along with his wrist rings.

He turned to look out his window. Ships were sailing into the port, and crowds were starting to gather outside of the gates. He stared down at his hands worriedly, reciting the words he had been thinking about all week.

“Your leader will be humble and modest, kind and caring, and will help all those in need…” Those were the words the official would say during the ceremony. What worried Silver was the tradition that came before he would be crowned. The ‘humble’ part of the speech…

He would need to take off any jewelry or ornamentation. Including his rings, that held his powers at bay. And his gloves would need to come off for him to hold the scepter and jeweled orb. The things that he trusted to reign in his powers…

“One wrong move…” he whispered to himself.

A knock came on his door. He tensed when he heard your voice. “Silver? I…I was hoping we could spend some time together before the ceremony. Maybe walk around town a little bit.”

He thought for a second, trying to think of a way to delay seeing you until later. Unable to think of any good ideas, he sighed and went to open his door.

* * *

You were shocked when he opened his door. More so when you saw he was wearing a suit. “Never saw you as one for formal wear,” you said lightly.

He blinked, then smiled and responded, “Says the one wearing a dress.”

The two of you laughed lightly. A servant came up to you two. “Prince Silver,” he said, “The crowds are gathering. Shall the guards open the gates?”

Silver froze, looking nervous. He straightened up and said, “Yes. Open them.”

The servant rushed off to issue the order. You stayed behind, looking at Silver, who seemed…frightened. “Are you alright?”

He blinked and quickly responded, “I'm fine, [y/n]. I should head over to the ceremony. Feel free to go into the town without me.”

He began to walk away. You sighed, but perked up at the thought of exploring the town. You quickly went after the servant.

You were there when the gates opened, and crowds of Mobians began to enter the courtyard. You easily wove your way through, getting the occasional glance from strangers who hadn't seen you before. You ignored them, and looked out over the crowd and across the bridge at the buildings in town square.

“I know there was a candy shop nearby. And a bookstore,” you said to yourself. “Unless they closed down or moved. It has been a while…”

“Princess [y/n]!,” someone called from the crowd. After a second of looking around, you saw a pink hedgehog in a red and white dress waving at you. You approached her, tilting your head. You knew you remembered her from somewhere. You just needed to figure it out…

“Princess…Rose, correct?,” you asked when you were close enough to speak without raising your voice. She nodded.

“Amy Rose, of the Rose Kingdom,” she said. “And this is my friend Rouge!,” she indicated the bat next to her who was leaning against the wall of the bridge. She waved at you with a small smirk.

“…Duchess Rouge, right? Of one of the provinces of the Rose Kingdom?,” you asked.

She nodded in confirmation. “You seem to have a pretty good memory, honey. It's been years since either of us have been in your castle, and you still know our names and stations?”

You rubbed at the back of your neck. “Well, I…I read a lot. And I try to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the other kingdoms,” you admitted.

Amy spoke up, “Have you seen Prince Sonic anywhere? I was hoping I could sit next to him at the coronation…”

You shook your head. “I've only just come out of the castle. I was hoping to explore the town a little bit before the ceremony.”

Rouge asked, “Not spending time with Silver? I remember you two were practically inseparable when you were young.” You flinched a little at that.

“He's…busy getting ready for the ceremony. I’m hoping to spend time with him at the party, though!,” you finished with a small smile.

“We could spend time with you, [y/n]!,” chirped Amy. “I remember loving being in this town. I'd love to walk these streets again.”

“…I'd like that,” you said with a smile, and you started weaving through the crowds again, this time with people following you. Rouge flew beside you, while Amy stayed directly behind you, in the wake you left from the Mobians avoiding you.

“[y/n], I'm sorry we didn't know each other too well in the past,” said Amy. “I always thought…well, you spent so much time with the boys…I was worried you were interested in…”

“Prince Sonic?,” you asked, glancing over your shoulder. Amy nodded, looking up at you with a worried expression. You shook your head. “No, no, no. He's very nice and sweet, but I was never…attracted to him. I wasn't even thinking about stuff like that when I was that young.”

Rouge laughed lightly. “She was hoping to ask you for help, but she kept worrying that you were planning to take him for yourself,” she stated. Amy protested.

“What kind of help?,” you asked. “I don't really know much about…romance.”

The three of you stepped out of the crowds so you could face each other. Amy explained, “I just need to know where some of the romantic places in the castle are. So that Sonic and I could spend some time together.” She blushed.

You thought. “Well…the rose garden is nice. There's the observatory, isn't starlight romantic? There's a study that's pretty out of the way, if you want to be alone…”

Amy hummed. “The garden and observatory sound nice, but I think I'll save the study for Rouge and Prince Knuckles,” she said with a wink.

Rouge sighed, “Princess Amy, I've told you time and again, I'm only interested in whatever I can nick from him. He's always got some kind of jewel or treasure on him.”

Amy giggled. “You seem to target him more than anyone else, though. And you told me years ago you thought he was cute.”

You leaned back and watched as Rouge calmly protested, while Amy kept badgering her. A sign across the square caught your eye. “Amy,” you said, “That sign says there's someone selling chili dogs over at the docks. Maybe Sonic will be down there? That's his favorite food, right?”

Amy gasped and nodded. “Hurry! If he's there, I don't want to miss him!” And so the three of you started to quickly head towards the docks.

Amy asked you as you all were walking, “So, [y/n], is there anyone that _you're_ hoping to spend time with at the party?”

You answered, “Well, I was hoping to see all of my friends again…”

Rouge chuckled, “Honey, she's talking in a _romantic_ sense.”

Your face turned beet red. “I-I-I can't really think of anyone. By the time I even started to think of anything like that, the policy was to keep the gates closed, so I didn't see many people.”

Amy gasped. “Oh my gosh! If the gates are open today, maybe that'll mean you're destined to find _the one_ today!”

“The one?,” you asked. She nodded eagerly.

“The one you're meant to be with! Like how Sonic is mine, and Rouge's is Knuckles!” Rouge sighed and rolled her eyes at this. Amy continued, “Sure, it might take some work, but there's no denying that when you meet your one, you feel that…that spark.”

Amy skipped out in front of you two, twirling to face you. “Just think. You, standing next to Silver, looking radiant in the light, suddenly approached by a tall, handsome stranger…”

“I think I'm going to be the only one in the ballroom I'll consider ‘tall',” you pointed out. “Unless there are any royal or noble Mobians who are much taller than average, or if there's any other humans.”

Rouge pointed out, “She's right. Most of the human kingdoms are much further south, where it’s warmer. The only human close enough to come here easily is…”

“Duke Robotnik,” you stated, frowning slightly. “And in my opinion, he doesn't fit any of Amy's description. He's certainly not my ‘one'”

Amy and Rouge nodded. The three of your arrived at the docks, where ships were circling around, trying to find a place to drop their anchors.

“Alright, we're here. Where's that stand, and more importantly, Sonic?,” asked Amy, peering around the area. You lifted your hand up to your forehead, squinting in the sun.

“I'm not sure. The sign just said it was in this are—AH!”

Something had knocked into you, causing you to lose your balance. You started to flail in panic when you saw you were falling straight into the water, but calmed down when someone grabbed your hand. “I am so, so sorry!,” they said, pulling you back up onto the dock. “I wasn't watching where I was going, I am so sorry!”

You let go of his hand and stood up straight. “It's…fine?,” you said in slight confusion. Out of habit, you had looked down as you were speaking, only to find yourself looking at the stranger's waist. You tilted your head up instead, and found yourself staring into bright green eyes.

He was human, with pale white skin and tousled brown hair…and those striking green eyes. Eyes that were actually above your eye level, meaning you now had to look up to maintain eye contact with him. He was wearing a white, expensive-looking suit with a sun pattern stitched into it. And he looked just as surprised to see you as you were to see him.

“A human? This far north?,” he asked. “Who are you, and from where do you come?”

“Princess [y/n],” you responded, “And, ah, from here, I suppose. Arendelle.”

“Princess [y/n]? Sister of King Silver of Arendelle?,” he gasped. He bowed deeply. “My lady!”

“Ah, it's, it's fine. Please don't bow. Who are you, if I may ask?”

“I am Prince Hans, of the Northern Isles,” he said. “Well, Northern in respect to other, mainly human-ruled, kingdoms. I was simply surprised to meet another human. I had presumed Princess [y/n] was a Mobian.”

“Well, here I am! Human!,” you laughed awkwardly. “My brother, Silver, is a Mobian, though. Long story. And there is, ah, maybe another human here? A duke? He might not be here, though.”

“I must say, Princess [y/n], that after my surprise, I feel pleased to have met you,” he said with a kind smile. He took your hand in his and bowed, placing a small kiss on it. Your face flushed red. “I do hope we see each other again very soon.” He stood up straight and walked past you into town.

You stood still, blushing. A squealing sound came from behind you, and you turned around and saw an ecstatic Amy. “Oh my gosh. What did I tell you? A tall, handsome stranger! I'm psychic!”

Rouge chuckled. “I don't believe in any of the ‘The one’ stuff, but he did seem quite interested in you.” She smirked and winked at you, causing your face to flush even more.

A cough came from behind you. Turning around, you saw a red echidna, wearing gold armlets, a gold necklace, and a gold circlet. “Knuckles?,” you asked. He nodded.

“Princess [y/n],” he said with a small bow, “It's good to see you again. It's been a long time, hasn't it?”

“Thirteen years,” you said sadly. “The policy was supposed to be temporary. Or at least that's what I was told…but I don't know why they never lifted it.”

“Well, we have a chance to catch up now, don't we?,” he said with a grin. “There’s quite a bit of news you missed."

“Prince Knuckles, have you seen Prince Sonic?,” asked Amy, walking up beside you.

Knuckles pointed to the next dock over. “Yeah. That's his kingdom’s ship right over there. I just saw him and Tails heading towards that chili dog stand.“

“Tails?,” you asked, confused.

Knuckles grinned. “That's the news you missed. Three years ago, Sonic’s parents adopted another kid, after he lost his parents—some of the royal scientists, I think. His name is Miles, but everyone just calls him Tails.”

“So Sonic has a younger brother?,” you asked, a grin on your face.

“If you count adopted siblings, I guess,” said Knuckles with a shrug. Amy marched forward and smacked him upside the head. “Ow! What was that for?,” he complained. Amy gestured toward you. Knuckles stared blankly for a second before it seemed to click in his head.

“Oh! Uh, sorry, [y/n], it's just that you and Silver were so close that…”

“Yeah, we were close,” you sighed. “Sometimes even I would forget that I wasn't…” _actually like them at all._

As you trailed off and stared down at the ground, Amy spoke up. “I'm going to go catch Sonic, [y/n]. Do you want to come help me? We could all sit at the ceremony together!”

You shook your head. “No, go on without me. Besides, I can't sit with any of you because I need to stand up front with Silver, anyway. It's standard for the royal family to do so, even if they're…the only member.”

Amy started to walk towards the dock Knuckles pointed at, looking at you with a worried expression. You looked away, just in time to see Rouge take the circlet off of Knuckles head.

“So, uh, [y/n]…Could You show me around Arendelle? It's been a long time since I've been here,” said Knuckles, who hadn't noticed the theft. Rouge smirked and held a finger to her lips.

You responded, “Well…there is some time before the ceremony. I could try to give you a tour of what I remember before the gates were closed.” You led the two of them into town, trying to think of all the places you would visit, back when you were young.

* * *

The tour had gone well. The few places you clearly remembered were still there, and Knuckles and Rouge commended you on your good memory. Soon, though, you insisted you head to the cathedral, so at the very least they could get some good seats.

So you stood where the officiant directed you, next to and behind Silver, who stood stoically as people began to file in. You scanned the crowds, trying to see who you recognized.

Knuckles and Rouge had found seats next to Amy, who was holding the arm of a blue hedgehog—Sonic—in a tight grip, a large grin on her face. Sonic looked exasperated, but it didn't seem he was trying to pull away. Next to him sat a young orange-yellow fox, who was staring at the ornate cathedral in awe. _That must be Tails_ , you thought.

Standing in the very back, you small Duke Robotnik, who everyone else seemed to be ignoring. It looked like he was trying to strike up a conversation with a disinterested Prince Hans. Once Hans noticed you were looking at him, he winked at you, causing you to blush and look away.

Eventually, the bell tolled noon, and the large doors of the cathedral were closed. The crowd became quiet, and the elderly feline officiant stepped forward. “Everyone, we are gathered today to crown a new leader of the kingdom of Arendelle—Prince Silver.”

Silver stepped forward as his name was said. The officiant continued, “He shall hold the scepter and jeweled orb, symbols of power. Should anyone have any reason to argue against his right to rule, now is that time.” Silver tensed at those words. You would have, too, if you hadn't read that the ‘speak up now’ line had been used for centuries, but any protests were extremely rare. As you expected, no one stood up.

The officiant grabbed a cushion from the altar behind you, holding the scepter and orb. He approached Silver, who reached forward to grab the objects. The officiant whispered to him, “Your majesty. The gloves, and rings.”

Silver paused, then slowly slipped the rings off of his wrists, then peeling the gloves off of his hands. He took one object in each hand and turned to face the crowd, looking very tense and shaky.

“Tuum dux meus eris et verecundus humilem, et huiusmodi curat, eos in omni necessitate et auxiliatus sum,” said the officiant in a loud voice, echoing through the building. “Non facies iudicium et iustitia, et uti eorum virtute ad bonum. Suas leges et aequum erit aequalis,” he continued. Your attention was solely on Silver, who was visibly shaking.

“Et hoc est, quod dux, princeps vester. Praesento uobis uirum: King Silver of Arendelle!,” finished the officiant. Silver turned and practically dropped the scepter and orb onto the cushion, quickly slipping on his gloves and rings at what was almost super speed. The officiant gave him an odd look.

“King Silver of Arendelle!,” cried the crowd, cheering and clapping. They cheered even louder as Silver knelt so the officiant could place the crown on his head. You clapped as enthusiastically, but you couldn't help but feel worried.

_When did you become so nervous, Silver? And why?_


	4. Celebration

You waited just outside the ballroom, waiting for your cue. You took the chance to peek through the crack in the door, and smiled. It looked like the party was going well, and that everyone was enjoying themselves.

The first song ended, and a servant stepped forward. “King Silver of Arendelle!,” he announced, gesturing to the doors on his left. Silver opened the doors and calmly walked to his side, then bowed at the crowd. They all clapped politely and enthusiastically.

“Princess [y/n] of Arendelle!,” the servant announced with a gesture towards you. You opened the doors and walked forward to stand beside him. You curtsied toward the crowd. There was some polite clapping, though not as enthusiastic, and you could feel some odd looks directed towards you.

The servant stepped back, and the musicians started another song. The crowd turned away from you both and started to dance again. You started to tap your foot to the beat, humming a little.

Silver chuckled. “Eager to dance, [y/n]?”

You laughed. “Unless someone asks me, I think I'm more likely to hang around the snacks table.”

Silver smiled, then sniffed the air. “Speaking of which…that smell…is it?”

“Chocolate,” you confirmed. “And it's very good, too. I helped ‘taste-test’ everything when the chef was trying to figure out want he wanted to do with it. He’s spent a good couple of weeks figuring it all out. There's a chocolate fondue, tiny chocolate bars with mint inside, these things that are like tiny little round cakes…”

You stopped when you heard a throat clearing. You turned and saw Sonic, with that young fox from earlier, who you now noticed had two tails, and looked around ten years of age. “Just wanted to congratulate you, Silver,” said Sonic, giving him a thumbs-up. “I know you're gonna be a good king.”

“…Thank you, Sonic,” Silver said with a smile before turning to the young fox. “And who might this be?”

“That's another reason I came up here,” said Sonic. “I'd like you to meet Tails, my little brother. Tails, say hello to King Silver and Princess [y/n].”

Tails stared between you and Silver, before finally choosing to set his gaze on you. “You're really tall,” he said.

“Tails!,” cried Sonic. “I don't think that's a polite thing to…” he trailed off when he noticed you were laughing.

“Sorry, it's just…most Mobians dance around that issue, or act nervous about it. Kind of nice for someone to just state it,” you said, directing a smile at Tails, who beamed back.

“Ah, King Silver!,” called out another voice. The four of you all turned to look.

“Oh, great,” muttered Sonic. He called back, “What do you want, Eggman?”

“That's Duke Robotnik to you, Sonic,” the new arrival snapped back. “And what I want is to congratulate the new king of Arendelle! Maybe talk a little bit about increasing the trade arrangement we have…”

“I don't wish to talk politics at a party, Duke Robotnik,” responded Silver.

“And aren't you on thin ice with every kingdom, after trying to forcibly expand your borders…again? Why do you think anyone will try to help you more than they are via more trading?,” questioned Tails.

“Did you try to expand again? Was the island full of valuable resources, the only reason anyone still trades with you, not enough?,” you asked, trying to keep an innocent expression on your face.

Sonic grinned at you. “Oh yes he did. Do you want to know how many times since you guys closed your gates? I have great memories of helping stop each attempt.” 

Robotnik huffed. “Well, if all of you are going to gang up on me and besmirch my good name, I think I'll stay by the snacks table.”

“Where else would Eggman be?,” asked Sonic, grinning at you.

“ROBOTNIK!,” the duke shouted as he walked away.

The four of you laughed. “Terrible as it sounds, I forgot how much fun it was to mess with him. I remember when you did it all the time, Sonic” you said. He grinned back at you. 

Knuckles ran up to you, panting. “Have you seen my circlet, [y/n]? I don't know where it is!”

Tails asked, “Are you sure you wore it, Knuckles? I didn't see you with it at the ceremony…”

“Of course I wore it! I remember putting it on just before getting off the ship and talking to…” he trailed off, and a look of anger formed on his face. “Rouge!,” he shouted before running off into the crowd, Mobians stepping to the side as he charged forward.

Sonic watched him run off, then suddenly paled. “Oh no. I think Amy saw me.” He grabbed Tails' hand. “C'mon, we gotta go hide somewhere! Catch up with you two later!”

“But—” Tails protest was unheard as Sonic ran at super speed out of the ballroom. Amy was hot on his heels, running out the door after him.

You smiled. “I missed this. Being friends with them…there was never a dull moment.”

Silver said, “Yeah…it's nice. I did miss them.”

You gasped and turned to him. “Hey! Maybe we could open up the gates now! Mom and Dad always said it was temporary, and if they were open, our friends could visit much more often!”

Silver smiled—a true, happy smile. “I'd really like that…” His face fell, and he glanced down at his hands. “But I can't do that.”

“But why not…?”

“I just _can't_ , [y/n]! Alright?,” he shouted as he turned away.

Your face fell. “I think I'll just…go to the snacks table,” you said quietly, walking away. Silver said nothing.

You made your way to the table, and began to eat several of those little round cake desserts. There was nobody else there: everyone else was on the dance floor, or had found some quiet corner to talk to their friends.

From across the room, you noticed Prince Hans. His eyes lit up when he saw you, and he made his way through the crowd, the Mobians making room for him.

“Care to dance, my lady?,” he asked with a bow, holding out his hand. You blushed, but slowly placed your hand in his.

He gently led you out onto the dance floor, and the musicians began to play a slower song. Hans led the dance, as you two spun in a circle, his hands on your shoulder and waist, yours wrapped around his shoulders. Colors spun around you, and the only thing you could focus on were his striking green eyes.

Before you knew it, the song was finishing. You gasped as Hans brought you into a low dip at the last note, your faces inches from each other. When the song finished, he brought you back up, a light blush on his face, and the crowd applauded you.

As the band started playing a faster song, Hans asked, “Do you want to go somewhere more…quiet?” You nodded and grabbed his hand, leading in through the forming crowd to the ballroom doors.

You guided him to the rose garden, which was bathed in soft moonlight. “This garden took years of work, through generations of families,” you explained as you both walked past large blooming flowers. “The roses were bred to thrive in cold weather, in less sunlight, and yet still produce large, colorful flowers, as well as having a strong perfume. It's quite amazing, when you think about it.”

Hans chuckled and offered you one of the smaller roses. “I never took you as a gardener.”

You took the flower as you waved that statement off. “Oh, no. I do help with the garden maintenance on occasion, but that little bit of history comes from all the reading I've done.”

Hans smiled. “A regular bookworm, then?”

“Well…yes. When I have questions, I'm just dying to find an answer. Everything has some explanation, and I've learned where to look.” You rubbed the back of your head. “Though I'll admit most of what I read is fiction. I love a good story.”

“Stories are good,” said Hans. “They're a way to experience adventure without stepping out the door. And I can certainly admire seeking knowledge. What sort of things do you study?”

“I like to read up on the history of Arendelle, especially that of the royal family. I've also researched what some of the human kingdoms are like…” you glanced at Hans , trailing off. “Could _you_ tell me what the human kingdoms are like? You live in one, don't you?”

He nodded and sat on a bench, and you followed suit. “It's very similar to the Mobian kingdoms, based on what I’ve seen. The main difference is that there are plenty of humans and less Mobians, though there still are some. And the differences between humans and Mobians…”

“There's a lot of them,” you said as you rubbed your arm. “They can do really amazing things, just…naturally. Super speed, super strength, flight, telekinesis…even the ones without an ability or two are quite durable and able to thrive anywhere. I'm…Humans aren't like that.”

“But you can't change who you are,” said Hans, placing a hand on top of yours. “And who you are is amazing. Do you want to know something?”

“What?,” you asked, tilting your head. He leaned forward to whisper in your ear,

“Your beauty outshines any human or Mobian that I know.” He pulled back and looked you in the eyes, a soft smile on his face. Your face turned beet red.

You turned away and stuttered, “D-Don't tell fibs. I'm nothing special. So, uh, what's your family like? What do you know about their history?”

Hans sighed and chuckled at your behavior and your red face. “I can't say much about the history, but…I can tell you that I do have an older brother. Well, he's my twin, but he feels like an older brother to me. He's much stronger, and can do so many things.”

“What's he like?,” you asked.

“Oh, he can just draw attention to himself, even with strangers. Whenever people hear about us, they always think about him.” He sighed. “We were inseparable…until we separated. It's been a long time since I've been able to spend quality time with him. Royal duties,” he said with a shrug.

You sighed. “I know the feeling. Silver and I were super close, until…something changed.” You brushed some hair out of your face.

Hans leaned forward and gently took a strand of it—the white one. “What's this?”

“Oh, I've had that since I was little. I guess that it's not…normal for humans?,” you finished with an awkward grin.

He smiled softly. “I think that it looks lovely on you.” He took the small rose, still in your hand, and tucked it into your hair. You smiled and stood up, pushing him away playfully. He followed you, smiling. “Could you show me your other favorite places in the castle?,” he asked. You smiled back and nodded.

You took him to several places you like to send time, such as the observatory, as well as other places. You ended with a stop at the library, which you showed off with pride. “Records indicate this is one of the biggest libraries in the Northern Kingdoms,” you boasted. “If you need to know something, you'll find it here: ninety-five percent certainty .”

Hans smiled, taking in a deep breath. “I love the feel of libraries. Full of knowledge, and the smell of paper and ink…” He sat near the large windows.

“Exactly how I feel,” you said, taking a seat next to him. You blushed as your stomach growled. Hans reached into his pocket, and pulled out a baggie of those little round cake things. 

“Here. I had grabbed some at the party to enjoy later, but you're welcome to have them.” He popped one in his mouth when he noticed you hesitate.

The two of you ate and talked about some of your favorite stories. When the treats were all gone, the two of you sat in silence. Hans spoke up, “Princess [y/n], I…I greatly enjoy your company. I feel myself caring greatly about you. I…I might go so far to even say…” He shook his head with a soft smile.

“I feel the beginnings of love. I want to ask, Princess [y/n]…may I begin to court you?”

You froze, your mind racing a mile a minute. You looked into his green eyes, eyes that seemed to be imploring you. You felt your heart pounding, your stomach flipping over itself. Hans made you feel…amazing. And he said things that sounded so sweet and sincere…

“I…I would like that, Hans. Very much,” you finally said, smiling.

Hans smiled, but his face soon fell. “I…my kingdom is so far away. Visits will be few and far between, and letters will take quite some time to reach you,” he said sadly. “And I must leave tomorrow, since the gates will be closed.”

You boldly grabbed his hand. “I have an idea. But we'll need Silver's approval.” And so you led him out the door.

* * *

You gulped once you had entered the ballroom, feeling nervous. _Why am I nervous? It's a great plan!_ , you thought. _I just hope Silver thinks so too…_

Hans began to walk forward, smiling at you. Urging you on. With a deep breath, you followed. Soon, too soon, you both stood in front of Silver, holding hands. Silver turned to face you, face lighting up as he saw you. “[y/n]!...Who is this?,” he asked, indicating Hans.

Hans bowed deeply. “Prince Hans of the Northern Isles, your majesty. Pleased to make your acquaintance, King Silver.”

“Likewise,” said Silver, giving a small bow. “Why are you…holding hands with my sister,” he said flatly.

You spoke up. “Silver, Prince Hans and I would like to…court each other.”

Silver blinked. “Okay…I think you might be moving a little fast with someone you just met, but I trust your judgement, [y/n]. It's not a huge commitment like a wedding,” he said, looking a bit confused.

“Well you see, Hans lives very far south, even for being in the Northern Isles. Him traveling to me, or me traveling to him, could take quite a bit of time, possibly months of travel. So I was wondering if…he could stay in the castle? Maybe in one of the guest rooms?,” you asked.

Silver frowned. “Absolutely not. You shall simply have to make do. I will not allow another person to live here, one whom we barely know.”

Hans stepped forward. “Your majesty, please…”

“My answer is no,” said Silver, turning away. You saw his expression, though: he was nervous. He began to walk away, and said to one of the guards, “The party's over. Close the gates.”

Angry, you rushed forward and grabbed onto his wrist. All you managed to go was grab and slip off his wrist ring. Silver tried to grab for it, looking worried, but you kept it out of his reach.

“Silver, stop. We…you can't keep doing this! Something is wrong here, and we have to fix it!”

“There's nothing you can fix!,” he said as he brought his ringless hand close to his chest. “If you don't like it, just leave.” He turned away and began to walk towards the doors.

“It's not me I'm worried about!,” you cried, ignoring the crowd that was staring at the both of you. “Why did you change, Silver? Why did you start to shut yourself away?”

“Enough, [y/n],” he said, rubbing at his wrist.

“What did I do, Silver!?,” you cried, tears trickling down your face.

“I said ENOUGH!,” he shouted, swinging his hand around. Spikes of ice burst forth from the floor, separating Silver from you and the crowd. Silver recoiled, looking terrified.

“Sorcery,” whispered Robotnik, examining the spikes. “I knew there was something going on here.” Silver ran away with his super speed.

“Silver!,” you shouted, going around the ice spikes, Hans by your side. You were joined by Sonic, running at super speed, and Robotnik, puffing behind you. Amy and Knuckles, along with others, began to break apart the ice spikes.

When you made it out the front doors, Silver was standing in the middle of a shocked and confused crowd, in front of a fountain whose water was frozen in the shape of a looming, grasping claw. “Stop him!,” shouted Robotnik.

“Stay away! Please, just stay away!,” cried Silver, fear clearly seen in his eyes. A blast of magic shot out of his hands and froze the stairs beneath you, causing you all to slip. You landed on the stone harshly, the fall knocking the rose out of your hair.

“Demon. Demon!,” cried Robotnik, pointing at Silver. You growled harsh words under your breath at the duke. Silver flinched at his words, and began to run away, faster than you had ever seen him run before. You tried to get back up onto your feet, and started moving after him, helping up Hans on your way.

Sonic raced past all of you, hot on Silver's heels. You ran as fast as you could after the hedgehogs, Hans following you as Robotnik called you both to come back and help him up. He was ignored.

You arrived at the docks out of breath, only to see a sheet of ice beginning to cover the fjord, Silver at the far shore, with Sonic quickly approaching. Eventually, you saw the two blurs reach a mountain cliff, and you watched a light blue, glowing speck lift itself off the ground over the top of the cliff before disappearing on the other side.

A fierce cold wind caused you to shiver, and snowflakes started to land in your hair. Sonic ran back, looking sorrowful. “I almost had him, [y/n], but I couldn't see any quick way around those cliffs, and I think I saw him going over the second range. I knew I couldn't catch up in time. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Sonic,” you said. Calling out to everyone, you said, “All of you, head inside and start a fire, or even several. I have a bad feeling this snow is only the start.”

You headed back inside the castle with the rest of the nobles. But just before you went through the doors, you cast a worried glance over your shoulder, towards the mountains Silver had fled towards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't think you, the reader, jumping right into marriage fit quite right. That's why it's only courting. But I needed something to set Silver off, which in this case, was inviting Hans to live in the castle.
> 
> And now the action is starting, the plot thickening...
> 
> Hope you enjoy the ride!


	5. Freedom

Silver finally slowed down after a number of mountains and cliffs that he didn't count. The only thought that was in his mind was to run away, far away. For both his safety and theirs'. Someone had shouted he was a demon, and he wondered if they were right. Sonic had almost had him, right at the end especially, until he had reached that cliff. Just in case, he lifted himself over the next several cliffs.

Now he looked down from the snowy mountain he was on, down at the town and castle he called home. The fjord was frozen, something he had accidently done as he ran away. But he was sure it would melt, like all his other ice. Even if it didn't, [y/n] was smart. [y/n] could find a way to break it.

A pang went through him as he thought of you. You, thinking that you could fix everything…thinking that the reason he changed was because of something you did…It couldn't have been further from the truth.

“It's my fault,” he whispered as he continued trudging up the mountain, turning his back on Arendelle. “I was the one who could control my powers. I hurt her. I couldn't even control myself long enough to get back to my room and get another…” he glanced down at his wrist. Down at the one ring left.

He lifted it up to his eye level. “What use is this now?,” he asked. “Everyone's already seen what I am. I've wore it for years, and on the one night where everyone was here, where I could have done so much damage and caused so much pain, it failed me.” He ripped it off his wrist and threw it into the distance, letting the strong winds carry it off.

“I don't need it!,” he shouted. “There's no one here to hurt; no one here to stop me!” Laughing, he swirled ice and snow around himself in a glittery, shimmering tunnel. He jogged a bit up the mountain, causally throwing his magic about, making simple ice sculptures.

He froze a few trees, shaping some of the icicles. He froze a waterfall that he touched, skipping across the water as he froze patches of it. In one place, he made giant icicles that stuck straight out.

“That’s all simple stuff. Large, but unformed. Let's really test my skills,” he said to himself. He held his hands out in front of him, thinking clearly on what he wanted to create. He closed his eyes as the magic pulsed out of him. When he opened them, he saw a rabbit made out of snow, with a simple dress and wide smile.

“Cream,” he whispered to himself with a smile. “I remember…when [y/n] and I made you together. That fateful night…” He reached down to give the little snow Mobian a light hug, squeezing tighter as he thought of you.

Standing abruptly, he said, “Perhaps I should go back. Speak calmly with [y/n], find some way to finally stifle my powers for good, with her help and knowledge.” He took a step back down the mountain before stopping.

“No. I can't risk hurting her, or anyone else. It's best if I isolate myself. It's all better this way. [y/n] can lead Arendelle, and court anyone in whatever way she wishes. I can use my powers without ever hurting anyone." He smiled as he saw the tiny Arendelle, way below him. “Funny how a little distance can make all the worry I felt so small.”

He turned and continued walking up the mountain. The cold wind tousling his fur felt comforting to him, and he undid his bowtie, jacket, and eventually his dress shirt as he went further and further.

Eventually, he came to a wide chasm, next to a cliff. He hummed to himself, considering which to hover over. He snapped his fingers. “Why not really test my limits?,” he said to himself.

With a burst of magic, a lump of snow appeared, shaped roughly like the foot of a flight of stairs. He cautiously approached it, setting one foot down on it. He gasped as the snow moved away from his foot, revealing a solid step of ice under it.

He stepped onto the first step, placing his hands on the handrails. He ran up the first few steps, preparing his telekinesis, but grinned as more steps formed as he continued up. He laughed gleefully and sped up, his ice magic working even faster. He was almost at super speed when he reached the top.

Looking back, he saw the staircase he had formed was very elaborate and ornate. “I wasn't even focusing that much,” he laughed. He glanced around himself, and saw he was on a flat, empty peak, a cliff wall to one side, where Arendelle would be.

“How much can I do?,” he asked himself. He glanced around the peak again, counting things on his fingers. When he was ready, he took a deep breath, approached the center of the peak, and stomped on the ground.

A large piece of ice, shaped much like a snowflake, burst out from under his foot, the tips spreading to almost the edges of the peak. Silver stuck his tongue out, and a circular disk formed over and under it, right up to the park’s edge. With a furrow of his brows, he felt spikes dig into the rock underneath, curving up into hooks to provide support. The spikes became taller, lifting the castle a bit higher of the ground.

He gestured with his arms, and great walls of ice began to rise up from the floor he'd made. Remembering something, he made thick arches rise from the floor, meeting in the center of where this room's ceiling would be. With a flick on his wrist, a three-level, snowflake-shaped chandelier sprouted from that point, starting as a simple shaft before branching out it's layers, each smaller the further down they were.

He formed a large pair of double doors as the entrance to the building. As the walls began to fully close, he made another staircase, a curved one, with an elaborate gesture. He ran up the steps, making a hole in the ceiling. With some focus, he created a second floor on top of the first, in a similar manner. He sectioned off a part of it with a wall and hinged door, and gave it it's own chandelier, and even a small balcony with double doors.

He gazed out at the horizon from that balcony, adding stairs to the front of his palace with a flick of his wrist. With a pleased sigh, he ran his gloved fingers through his quills, until they ran into something. He lifted it off of his head.

It was the crown. He was the king of Arendelle. Perhaps he should…

“I'm never going back,” he declared, tossing the crown away, into some corner of the palace. “They can make [y/n] their ruler. She'll be fine, great, even. But I'm not going to go back.” He smiled to himself, shaking his quills out of the string they were tied back with, letting them hang loose. “Yes. Everything is better this way. No one is in danger here, not even I. The cold here doesn't bother me…it never did, anyway."

He turned away from the starry horizon, slamming the doors behind him.


	6. Heading Out

Hans looked out the window at the howling storm that had appeared as Silver left. “I think it's getting worse,” he said to you. The wind shrieked and rattled the windows, fat snowflakes coating the outside windowsill. It was difficult to see outside, due to the thick layer of frost on the window You sighed and stoked the fire next to you, looking around to see if anyone needed blankets.

All of the visiting nobles, and the Arendelle cabinet, had gathered in the conference room. It was a bit cramped, with there being so many people, but you were personally thankful for the warmth that everyone was generating.

Robotnik slammed a hand on the table. “Let's quit beating around the bush here. Silver is a dangerous demon with dangerous magic, plain and simple!” Everyone else cried out in protest.

Knuckles shouted back, “I suppose you forgot the legend that when a demon takes a kingdom’s throne, the kingdom becomes an opening to hell?”

Robotnik gestured to the window. “A blizzard seems pretty hellish to me! Our ships are stuck in ice, there's no other way to leave, and we're all going to slowly freeze to death!”

You muttered to yourself, “Thought hell would be a lot warmer than this.” But aloud to the others you said, “Duke Robotnik, based on my personal studies, if Silver was a demon, and this was hell…we'd already be dead.” The others grew quiet, and you heard someone gulp. You continued, “The most powerful demons were sealed with the sanctity of the thrones of kingdoms by ancient royal families. If a demon took a throne…all of the most powerful demons would burst forth from the earth of the kingdom.”

You sighed and shook your head. “He's not a demon. I know he isn't. I saw him when he used his magic, and he looked…terrified. Absolutely terrified.” You looked up, glaring at Robotnik. “My brother is innocent.”

One of the cabinet members stepped forward. “Be that as it may…our king has left us. We must all agree on who should stand in as our leader, until the king either returns, or surrenders the throne by death or abdication.” he said, glancing at you.

Robotnik rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I'd be more than willing to take charge of the kingdom…With all of its wonderful resources…”

“Not a chance, Eggman,” said Sonic. “Did you forget there's already someone else in line for the throne?”

“Wha—her!?,” he said, pointing at you. “She's not even related to the royal family!” You flinched and rubbed at your forearm.

“Neither are you!,” snapped Amy. She shook a fist at Robotnik, but shivered as a sudden cold wind blew. Sonic passed her a blanket.

Rouge nodded, saying, “And Princess [y/n] was taken in by the royal family. She has every right to lead the kingdom.”

“Leader or no, we have to stop this storm before it gets any worse!,” said Knuckles. “Even with Mobian durability, we can still all freeze to death. And the humans here will freeze even faster.”

“The laws say we must pick a leader before any major decisions are made!,” cried another cabinet member. “It only requires a quick vote, and we must do it first!”

“No, first we have to help Silver and the citizens of Arendelle!,” Sonic shouted. Tails added a “Yeah!”

“Just give me all of your resources,” said Robotnik slyly to a cabinet member, who slowly inched away from him.

You had had enough. “QUIET!”

Every head turned towards you. You took a deep breath and said, “Everyone…except Duke Robotnik…makes valid points. We must help Silver, stop the storm, and save Arendelle. Does anyone oppose me acting as a temporary leader?”

Robotnik started to raise his hand, but Hans stopped him with a glare. Seeing no one else protest, you asked the cabinet, “Does that vote satisfy the law?” One of them nodded, and so you continued speaking.

“Alright. Sonic, Tails, can you two take charge of keeping the citizens safe?” The two of them nodded. “Good. I want the kitchens to start making warm soup, as much as they can, and for everyone to find whatever blankets and wood they can in the castle. Distribute supplies to the citizens, and let the castle be open to anyone who needs shelter and warmth. I don't think the citizens were prepared for a blizzard in the middle of summer.”

“I'll tell the kitchen and the servants your orders, Princess [y/n],” said one of the cabinet members. He quickly ran off.

You continued, “Knuckles, go to the library. Your kingdom has great knowledge of history and prophecies, and I want you to see if there's a way to stop this storm, between your knowledge and our extensive library.” He nodded and left the room.

“Robotnik, much as I distrust you, thanks to your province’s great resources, you have the strongest ship and tools out of all of us,” you sighed. “See if you can break the ice of the fjord—if we can't fix this, we might need to evacuate the kingdom. The sooner the ice breaks, the sooner you can leave.” He nodded and started to leave the room. “Wait. I want someone to keep an eye on you. Rouge?” The bat nodded and flew to his side. Robotnik grumbled.

“The rest of you, I humbly request that you find some way to help any of those three groups. If you don't know where to go, ask the cabinet what needs done.”

Hans stepped forward. “But…Princess [y/n], what are you going to do?”

You stood up tall. “I am going to find Silver and bring him back.” The others all gasped.

Robotnik grinned. “Leading is so hard, Princess [y/n]. I’d be more than willing to take the job off your hands…” He was cut off as the whole room glared at him. Sweating, he said, “Perhaps I'll get started on the fjord.” He left, Rouge following him.

Once he was gone, a cabinet member cried, “You can't leave! We just chose you as our leader! Don't make us chose another!”

You turned to the cabinet. “I shall appoint Prince Hans to work alongside the cabinet, and that together you shall both see my orders carried out until I return, and King Silver comes back to his throne. Is that clear and acceptable?”

The members of the cabinet slowly looked at each other and nodded. Hans grabbed your shoulder. “Are you sure you have to do this alone? Can't you at least take someone with you?”

Amy stepped forward. “Yeah, [y/n]. I'd be more than willing to come with you!”

You shook your head. “No. I'm the one who pushed Silver. This is…my fault. That's why I'm going to be the one to fix this.” You looked up, determination shining in your eyes. “I'm going to bring my brother home.”

No one had anything to say to that. You walked out of the room, the cabinet members and a few of the nobles bowing as you passed them. Once you were outside and a bit down the hall, you let out a large sigh of relief. _Glad nobody argued back on anything_ , you thought to yourself.

You dashed towards the stables, passing a few surprised servants in the hallways. The wind in the courtyard nearly knocked you off of your feet, but you continued until you made it into the shelter of the stables.

The stable grooms leapt up from the small fire they had made to warm their hands. “Princess [y/n],” cried one. “What are you doing ‘ere? You ought to be keeping warm inside the castle. ‘ere, you can warm your ‘ands by the fire.”

You shook your head. “I must leave as soon as possible. I came here to fetch my horse.”

“Of course, your 'ighness,” said the other groom, running to your horse's stall. He led her out to you. You stroked her mane and whispered encouraging words to her as he placed the saddle and bridle on her.

As soon as she was ready, you lifted yourself up into the saddle. “You two are both welcome to come in the castle to warm yourselves, if you need,” you said to them.

They paused. “We might…but right now, we want to stay ‘ere, with the ‘orses,” said one.

As you galloped off, the other called, “Don't do nothin' crazy, [y/n]! You stay safe, it's a howler out there!”

You chuckled a little at the advice, and spurred your horse onwards. In almost no time, you had made it to the docks, and you encouraged your horse to cross the icy fjord. _It’s risky_ , you thought, _but Silver is already far ahead. I need to do whatever I can to catch up to him._

Your horse quickly crossed the fjord without incident, and you pressed on even faster. You slowed down when you came to the cliff Silver had levitated over. “We’ll have to find a way around,” you said, giving your horse a pat on the neck. Gripping the reins, you followed the cliffs' edge at a moderate pace.

* * *

It was now noon. You had gone past several cliffs, and were now going through a snowy forest. Though the clouds had lifted after you left the town and the sun was shining, the air was cold and the snow thick. You let your horse go slowly forward, not wanting to push her too hard.

_Especially since I don’t know where I'm headed,_ you thought grimly to yourself. The snow covered any footprints that might have been there, and psychokinesis left no signs of use in any area. Your only hope was to follow the ice and snow to the source.

“Silver!,” you called out into the forest. “It's me, [y/n]! I never meant to push you so hard! Please come back!” When there was no response, you called out, a little quieter, “It's my fault…!”

The forest was silent, as it had been every time you tried calling out. You sighed and urged your horse onwards a bit faster, hoping to find some sort of landmark soon.

You froze as you heard a snap from above you. Looking up, you saw a snow-laden branch falling towards you! You urged your horse quickly forward, so you wouldn't be hit. The branch landed with a loud thud behind you, startling your horse.

You tried to grip her reins as she reared up, but your cold fingers couldn't properly grip on, and so you were flung from her back. She turned and started to gallop back towards the town.

You called out her name, shouting, “Stop!” But she was already far off in the forest. You groaned and weighed your options. You could fetch your horse, or continue on foot. On the one hand, having her on your journey would make the trip faster. On the other, she knew her way back home instinctively, whereas you might get lost in the woods following her. And Silver was already long ahead of you either way.

You sighed and started walking in the direction you had been headed. “Damn,” you muttered, kicking a tree in frustration.

You were rewarded with a pile of snow dropping on your head. You groaned, shook the snow off, and kept walking.

* * *

The sun had set, and you were still trudging through thick snow, lifting your skirts as you did so. “He had to have winter magic, huh?,” you said to yourself as you slowly went up a hill. “It couldn't have been summer magic, or spring, or fall…no, it had to be snow and ice everywhere.”

You huffed as you cleared the top of the hill. Something in the distance caught your eye. Something orange and flickering…”A fire,” you said, relieved. “Warmth, and people, and maybe food—”

As you took a step down the hill, you tripped over a hidden tree root. You shrieked as you tumbled head over heel down the hill, forming a giant snowball. You finally stopped upright at the bottom…only for your legs and skirt to land in a running creek.

You yelped from the biting cold, and quickly jumped out of the water. You looked around for the fire, and quickly made your way towards it, wringing out your skirt as you went.

When you came closer, you realized the light wasn't from an open fire, but coming from inside a building. Walking up to their steps, you saw a hanging sign covered with snow. You reached up to brush it off.

The signs letters were messily painted, with jarring colors, but they were legible enough. “Team Chaotix Trading Post…and Sauna,” you read. _I’d hate to stop searching…_ you thought, _But if I don't get some new, dry clothes, I'll freeze to death in this wet dress. And I'll need food, warmth, a map…_

The reasons to stop all outweighed the one to keep pressing on. You decided in your mind that you would spend only a few minutes to get what you needed, and then you would be right back on Silver's trail.

You climbed the steps and opened the door of the small building, the small bell above it ringing as you entered its warmth.


	7. A New...Ally

A young bee sitting behind a desk jolted up when you slammed the door behind you. “A customer?,” he questioned. “Did you seriously walk through that blizzard to get here?”

The chameleon next to him crossed his arms and sighed. “Charmy, don't ask the customers rude questions.”

You all jumped as a door in the back slammed open. Steam poured out, and a large green crocodile stepped out. “I heard something about a customer! You two stop yapping and give ‘em what they want!” He turned to look at you. “We have our Summer Blowout Sale going on right now. Half off on our swimsuits and sunblock!”

You shuffled your feet. “Thanks, but…do you have any winter clothes? And some boots?”

The croc snapped his fingers. “Espio! Show her the winter department! I'll be at the desk waiting.” He marched over and took a seat next to Charmy.

The chameleon stood up and led you to a corner in the back of the shop. “Vector calls it a department, but that makes it sound like we have more than we do,” he said quietly to you. You didn't say anything, but you agreed. All that was in the corner was a messy pile of clothes and boots, and a few pieces of equipment hung up on the wall.

You shifted through the clothes pile, looking for something that could actually fit you. After some searching, you managed to find some black snowpants and boots, a red hat, scarf, and gloves, and a thick winter jacket that was your favorite color. You managed to find a grey shirt and pants that would be a little bulky on you, but would at least give you something to wear underneath besides your soaked dress.

You brought the pile up to the counter, pulling up your wallet as you did so. “Out of curiosity, has anyone else, say, ah, King Silver, maybe, come through here?,” you asked as you paid.

Charmy laughed. “The only person crazy enough to be out here is you, lady!” Vector glared at him, causing him to gulp.

The door slammed open, causing all four of you to turn your heads towards it. In stormed a hedgehog completely covered in snow. The only part of him you could see was his red eyes. He closed the door behind him and brushed off light amounts of the snow covering him.

Vector grinned. “See, Charmy? Plenty of perfectly reasonable customers coming in for supplies!” To the stranger he said, “We're having out Summer Blowout Sale right now…”

The strange hedgehog grunted at marched towards the desk. You grabbed your clothes and moved out of the way. He looked around, then glared up at you. “Move,” he grunted. “You're in the way.”

“Sorry,” you squeaked, and scurried over to the corner. He had to look up to make eye contact with you, but a managed to radiate a cold, intimidating aura. You decided that you did not want to end up on his bad side.

He stepped to where you just were and grabbed a bag of coffee beans, then went into the corner you had been in just a minute ago, snagging a coil of rope and a pickaxe off of the wall.

“It's a real howler in July, huh?,” said Vector. “Where could it be coming from?”

“The North Mountain,” mumbled the hedgehog.

_North Mountain…source of the storm…Silver!,_ you thought to yourself. You gulped and prepared to talk to the hedgehog once he was done buying his items.

He set them down on the desk. Vector glanced at them and said, “That'll be forty rings.”

The hedgehog glared at him. “The signs add up to ten rings,” he growled.

Vector glared at Charmy. “I told you to update the signs!” To the hedgehog, he said, “Look, we had to increase our prices because of supply and demand. One hundred percent of our customers today have been purchasing items from the winter department.”

Espio sighed, “These two have been the only ones in here all day.”

The hedgehog snapped, “Supply and demand problem? I harvest and sell ice for a living. You want to say something about a problem?”

Vector sighed. “Look, for ten rings, I'll only give you this,” he said as a pointed to the coffee beans. “But I will throw in a visit to our sauna, good for today only!”

Charmy said, “But Vector, you've been using up all of the steam. You spent all day in there.”

Espio pointed out, “Being a reptile is no excuse, either. I haven't felt the need to waste our water supply to stay warm.”

The three of them began bickering. Seeing that this could go on for a while, you stepped up to the annoyed-looking hedgehog. “Excuse me,” you asked, “Do you know how to get to the North Mountain?”

He brushed more of the frost out of his face, and now you saw he had black fur with red streaks in his quills. “Yes, I do,” he told you. “Now back up so that I can deal with these crooks.”

The three Mobians stopped arguing and turned their heads to him. “What did you call us?,” said Vector, standing up. Charmy and Espio stepped back, looking worried.

Before you knew it, Vector had picked up the hedgehog and thrown him out the door. “We don't want your rings anyway!,” he shouted. He closed the door and turned back to you with a pleasant smile. “Is there anything else we can get for you, ma'am?”

You thought for a second, then pulled out your wallet. “You said that was all forty rings?”

* * *

You had changed out of your dress and into your new clothes as quickly as you could. You felt bad about leaving behind the tailor-made dress, but you didn't want to bring something you didn't need on a potentially long journey.

You just hoped that hedgehog hadn't already left.

You sighed in relief when you stepped outside and saw a sled with large blocks of ice in the back of it. It must have been his, so he must have been around here somewhere. To your left, you saw a barn with light coming from inside. You walked towards it.

You slowly opened the door. The hedgehog was leaning against the wall, close to the fire, brushing frost out of his fur. He was indeed black and red, and was wearing gold rings on his wrists, and white gloves on his hands. He looked extremely annoyed. You gulped, and rapped on the side of the door to get his attention. He turned to you, glaring.

“What do you want?,” he growled.

“I…I need someone to take me to the North Mountain. I think my brother is there,” you said. “You said you know the way.”

He grunted and turned away. “I don't do favors. Not even for royalty.” He glanced at you and saw your surprised expression. “There's not exactly a lot of human females up this north. You're pretty distinctive, Princess.”

You glared at him. “I wasn't expecting any favors.” You threw the rope and pickaxe you had bought next to him. “And this isn't a request: take me to the North Mountain so I can find King Silver.”

He examined the rope and pickaxe. With a sigh, he leaned against the wall. “We leave at dawn.” After a pause, he grumbled, “And you forgot my coffee beans.”

Annoyed, you threw them towards him, aiming for his torso. You gasped when they hit him in the face. “I'm so sorry! I didn't—” You coughed and straightened up. “I mean, we leave now. Right now.”

He sighed and stood up, tossing a handful of the coffee beans into his mouth. “Right this way, Princess,” he said as he walked past you and to his sled.

“Princess is my title, not my name. My name is [y/n],” you said, annoyed. You followed him to the sled.

He rolled his eyes as he slid the blocks of ice out of the back. “We need to travel light,” he explained to you. “And if you're so obsessed with names, mine's Shadow. Now get in.”

You stepped on and took a seat at the front, and he threw the rope and pickaxe into the back. “Um, don't you have a horse or something to pull this thing?,” you asked, looking at the ropes attached to the sled that lay in front of you.

He laughed bitterly. “You think I can afford to care for a horse? I pull this thing myself,” he said, tying the ropes around his torso. “Now hold on. I travel fast.”

“I'm used to fast,” you said with a smirk. He started walking, then went into a light jog, slowly working his way up to super speed. You kept a good grip on the front of the sled, but cheered as you reached super speed, the trees all zipping past you in a blur.

“What's got you so excited?,” Shadow shouted back at you.

You shouted back, “I haven't been able to go this fast for a long time! When I was little, my dad or Silver would take me for runs at super speeds.”

Shadow glanced back. “The king has super speed?”

“From dad, and psychokinesis from mom! And apparently he has ice magic, too!”

Shadow pulled on one of the ropes, bringing the sled closer behind him. You leaned forward so the two of you could talk almost face to face. “So the king has magic?,” he asked, raising an eyebrow. You nodded. “Is he the one who caused this winter?,” he growled.

You stammered, “Well, technically yes, but…it's more my fault, really. He tried to walk away, and I kept trying to push the subject…” You sighed. “Maybe my plan wasn't the greatest, but he wanted to stop the whole party after my suggestion.”

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “Suggestion?”

You sighed and smiled. “I met Prince Hans at the coronation. Another human, from a kingdom far to the south. And he was so sweet and charming. We wanted to court each other, but his kingdom was months away, so I thought he could stay with us…”

He frowned at you. “So you started courting someone you met _that day_ , practically a stranger, and thought it was a good idea to let him live in your home?”

You scowled back at him. “The castle is pretty big, it's not like we're sharing a bed! And we have guards, so it's not like he could try anything sinister. What's so wrong with that?”

“But you started courting a stranger,” he stated plainly. “That's the other issue.”

You looked down and blushed. “He…he said he was starting to love me. What's wrong with giving love a chance?”

Shadow scoffed. “Being in love in one day is preposterous. And Mobians and humans are known to lie regularly. How would you know your Prince Charming isn't some kind of liar?”

You crossed your arms. “I suppose you're some kind of expert on love, then? Have some hidden depths, Mr. Edgy Hedgie?”

Shadow scowled even further. “No, but I have…friends who are. Family, really.” He glared at you. “And don't call me edgy, Princess.”

You glared back at him, opening your mouth to retort, but closed it when you saw a light in the trees, looking like a fire. You leaned back, craning your neck to see it again. “I didn't think anyone would come this far north,” you called to Shadow.

He shouted back, “Nobody does, except for any ice harvesters. And they're probably already at home, at this point.”

You looked around, seeing more and more fires in the trees. “Then what's with all the campfires?”

Shadow froze, and the sled slowly came to a halt just before hitting him. He looked around, glaring at the fires. “Damn,” he muttered. To you he whispered, “Those aren't campfires. Just stay quiet and still, and they won't notice us.”

You gulped and glanced around, now noticing that the “campfires” were moving—and pretty quickly, too. You paled when you saw they seemed to be headed towards you. “S-shadow?,” you whispered, fear gripping at your throat.

He shushed you. “Stay calm. If they don't notice us, we'll be safe.”

You glanced around, holding a hand over your mouth to try and quiet your breathing. The “campfires" were a lot closer now, and still seemed to be headed for you. Shadow was also glancing around, bending low to the ground in a runners' stance.

You shuddered in fear when they came even closer. “I think they know,” you mouthed to Shadow. But he was turned in the other direction, looking into the trees.

Suddenly, a horrible orange beast leapt out, ready to snap at Shadow! “SHADOW, RUN!,” you yelled.

Shadow burst forward at super speed, barely avoiding the beast’s jaws. You were knocked into the back of the sled from the sudden speed, and you held onto the boards for dear life as the beast soared overhead. It was large and lizard-like, and seemed to be made of living fire and rock.

You managed to sit up, and looked back to see more of the beasts were chasing you. “What the hell are they!?,” you shouted, shivering in terror.

Shadow shouted back, running faster, “They're minor, beastly demons! People call them Biters!” He swerved to dodge one that burst from the trees ahead of him, knocking you around in the sled. “They're not nearly as powerful as true demons!”

“You think these guys are weak!?,” you cried back as you saw one effortlessly smash through a tree that was in its path. You looked up ahead, and saw one of the Biters tackle Shadow. You cried out.

Shadow managed to quickly dart away before the Biter could actually bite him. He swung the sled behind him to knock the Biter back into the trees. You cried out again. “Watch it!”

He grunted back, “Shut up! I'm actually trying to get rid of them! I don't need your commentary!”

Looking back, you saw the Biters gaining on you. You grabbed the bedroll next to you and threw it at one. It hissed as it was hit and fell back, the others trampling over it. You kept up the pace, throwing every large item you could find at them.

“I'm holding them off! RUN FASTER!,” you shouted.

Shadow glanced back at you. “Stop throwing my things at them! Some of that was expensive!”

“BILL ME!,” you roared as you threw a guitar at the last of the group. You grabbed the last things left: the rope and pickaxe, plus a thick knife. You turned and prepared to throw them at any Biters who had managed to catch up, but sighed in relief when you saw the distance between them and the sled was now quite large, and still increasing as Shadow ran faster. You turned your gaze forward.

Your face paled at what you saw. “Shadow, there's a cliff!,” you cried.

He grunted, “If we go around, they'll catch up. We have to jump it!”

“Are you crazy? This sled won't clear that gap!,” you yelled, crawling back into the front of the sled, still holding some of your ammunition.

Shadow growled, then turned around and grabbed you bridal-style, before accelerating towards the cliff. You closed your eyes and buried your face into his shoulder.

You could feel it when the ground disappeared from under his feet. For those few seconds, you felt weightless, like you were flying. It was lust like when Mom or Silver would hold you in their telekinesis. The moment ended when Shadow landed jarringly on the ground, dropping you into the thick snowbank as he landed. You dropped the supplies in the snow.

You sat up and opened your eyes. Shadow grinned smugly down at you. “See? We cleared the gap, with the sled,” he told you. Your eyes widened when they followed the rope tied to him…which disappeared over the side of the cliff.

You rushed forward and grabbed his hand. “Take off the ropes, take them off!,” you cried. Shadow looked at you, confused, his eyes widening as he slowly started to move backwards. You could only barely slow him down—if you didn't free him or let go, you'd both fall with the sled dangling over the edge.

Panicking, you grabbed the thick knife you had dropped in the landing, unsheathed it while holding Shadow’s hand, and began to saw at the ropes. Three quick cuts, which felt like they had dragged on for you, and the sled plummeted down the cliff, without you or Shadow attached.

He looked down the cliff as the sled was smashed into pieces. “Damn,” he growled, “I'd just paid it off.” He sat down at the edge, glaring down at the wreckage.

You cautiously approached him, handing him the few supplies left. “Here. I'm…I'm sorry about your sled and…everything else. I promise I'll replace everything.” You sighed. “And…I understand if you don't want to help me anymore. I don't want to get someone else hurt on my journey.”

You turned around and began to walk away from the cliff. A few feet anyway, the cold air really began to sting at your eyes. That's what you told yourself, anyway.

You froze when you heard footsteps behind you. Turning around, you saw Shadow quickly approach you. He grabbed your wrist and started to pull you in a slightly different direction. “C'mon, it's this way.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

He grunted back, “Don't thank me. If you die, who's going to replace my sled?”

You smiled even wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we meet Shadow! Now it's time for backstory and bonding!


	8. Closer

Shadow had let go of your wrist, and you both slowly went through the thick snow side-by-side. He had grumbled about how the snow was thick enough to slow him down anyway, so you might as well both just walk.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up, “So…I've always wondered. You're human, and every other member of the royal family is a hedgehog. How does that work?”

You rubbed at your arm. “It's…a long story.”

He scoffed. “We've got a long way to go, with nothing _but_ time.”

You sighed. “Okay. Obviously, I was adopted.” He made a gesture for you to continue. “When Silver was a year old, one day the servants found a human baby left on the steps of the castle in a basket. The only other things in the basket were the blanket I was wrapped in and a piece of paper that said, ‘Her name is [y/n]’.”

“The king and queen searched for any humans, but…there were no records of any humans staying in Arendelle, or traveling on any of the ships that had stopped in our port that week.” You sighed. “Since they were unable to find my birth parents, the king and queen decided to adopt me and raise me as their own.”

Shadow asked, “And everyone just accepted it?”

You sighed and said, “Not exactly. I was never told about this, and I only found out during my studies, but…there were some cabinet members and citizens who were unhappy with the decision. They didn't like the fact that a human was in line for a throne that had been held by a Mobian family for centuries. The only thing that got them to accept it was that there was already a Mobian heir in place.”

He asked, “Is that why you're going after King Silver? To stop winter, and because they won't accept you as the ruler?”

You shook your head. “No. Well, I am going to find him to stop winter, but…I'm doing it because he's my brother, and I have to bring him home.” You smiled. “And I was chosen as temporary leader before I left, so the cabinet probably changed their minds long ago.”

Shadow grunted as he climbed over a rock, and helped to lift you over it. “If you're the leader, why are you the one out here? Shouldn't you be back home, telling others to climb up the mountain?”

You gave a hand to help him off the rock. “I left Prince Hans in my place, after I did give some orders to help the citizens and find a way to stop winter. And I came up here because this is my fault, and I have to fix it.”

He looked up at you. “You keep saying that it's your fault. But you're not the one with ice magic who froze over the kingdom.”

You huffed. “I was the one who pushed Silver too far.”

“He’s the one who couldn't control his powers.”

You glared at him. “Don't you dare blame my brother for this. I'm telling you that it's _not his fault_ ,” you hissed between your teeth.

Shadow glared back at you. “Did you even think before you decided to climb a mountain you can't scale, looking for a brother who kept a secret from you?,” he growled. “I've lost everything because you couldn't think for a second that you wouldn’t be able to bring him back by yourself! And saying that it's your fault isn't an excuse!”

You kept marching forward, trying to ignore him. “I…I will…I have to…”

“Why do you keep pushing forward?,” he yelled at you.

You took a step forward, then fell to your knees, your shoulders shaking. “I…I don't know. I can't…there are so many things I can't do. I guess I'll just…add this to the list,” you laughed unhappily.

Shadow trudged up to you, staring as you pulled your knees to your chest. You continued, “I didn't think…because I hate thinking like that.” You looked up at him. “You don't know what it's like. Bring surrounded by family and friends who can do amazing things, while you just…can't. Looking at family portraits and knowing that you don't belong. Having to look down just to make eye contact with almost anyone!”

You placed your forehead on your knees. “I try not to think about that stuff. When we were kids…Silver and I were super close, and he could make me forget how different I was. I was happy.”

You sighed. “Then, one day, after a night of playing…all I remember is waking up in bed, and being told I had caught a cold. Silver became more distant after that. And I…I always thought it must have been because of me. He locked himself in his room, and would avoid me when he came out.”

“I pushed myself to be helpful whenever I could. I read and read, so at least I could have knowledge on my side. And I tried to figure out what it was I had done to make Silver push me away,” you sighed. “And it looks like I only succeeded in making him push _everyone_ away.”

You sniffled, then gasped when you felt a gloved hand rubbing at your back. Looking up, you saw a frowning Shadow. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn't mean to…I only got mad like that because I thought you were an idiot for coming up here alone.” You flinched. “But I can see your reasoning now.”

He glared at you. “There’s just one thing that annoys me.”

“What's that?,” you asked, wiping your eyes.

“You keep seeing yourself as the problem. As the weakest link. But you want to know something? As stupid as it is, there aren't many people who'd be willing to scale a mountain for someone.”

You grinned. “Silver is my brother, biological or not. I'll do whatever it takes to help him.”

Shadow grinned back. “And there's your proof that it's not your fault you two grew apart. You care too much to just let that happen.” He continued, “And you…you saved my life earlier. Without hesitation. I never thanked you for that.”

You turned away, blushing. “That's…anyone would do that. I couldn't let you die.”

He said, “But you didn't freeze up. And everyone apparently accepts you as a leader just as you are. So why dislike the way you are? Why feel bad about being different?”

You responded, “Duke Robotnik wasn't happy, but no one really listens to him anyway. And the cabinet…was pretty determined that I be chosen to act as temporary leader.”

Shadow smiled. “You don't hesitate to help others, and you have faith in those you care for. Those are admirable qualities, ones that should be found in more people..” He frowned. “But you can't push yourself to do things alone. You'll end up hurting yourself, or others.” He offered you a hand. “Let me be the one to help you, [y/n].”

You took his hand without hesitation, and he helped you stand up. The two of you kept walking. Shadow commented, “I'm still not sold on you _not_ being an idiot, though. You did invite a stranger to live with you.”

You were about to get angry, until you saw his grin. You said back, “Did you miss the part where I read and read to gain knowledge? And where I stopped and asked for you to guide me to the North Mountain?”

“Humph. I suppose you get a few points there,” he said. You laughed, but were cut off by a yawn. Shadow glanced up at you.

“When was the last time you slept?,” he asked.

You started to think, counting on your fingers. “The party was last night…I traveled all day yesterday…the last time I slept was the night before coronation, which was two nights ago,” you answered.

Shadow sighed and shook his head, then picked you up bridal style. “W-what are you doing?,” you asked, blushing.

He rolled his eyes. “You're too tired to walk up a mountain. Plus, if I carry you, I can run ahead whenever the snow thins out,” he answered.

You turned your head away. “You…you don't have to…”

“Oh, shut up. You think I'm going to let you keep pushing yourself after that talk we just had? I'm carrying you, and you're resting.” You raised an eyebrow at him, to which he responded, “I'm only doing this because I know you'd complain about stopping to rest and losing King Silver's trail.”

You huffed, “I don't think sleeping in someone's arms is a good night's sleep. And I'm too heavy for you to carry.”

He scoffed, “I don't care if you sleep or not, I just want you to rest. And I managed to carry you over a cliff, don't say you're too heavy for me. Just close your eyes for a minute, and then I'll put you down.”

You closed your eyes, muttering, “If this is some ploy to toss me down the mountain, I'm not buying you your sled.” He laughed at this.

* * *

You opened your eyes, then shut them again when you were blinded by the morning's rays. “Bleh,” you said eloquently. Shadow laughed, and you shook in his arms. “Okay, I'm awake. You can put me down now,” you said.

He set you gently down. “Have a nice rest?”

You grinned at him. “As much as I could in your bony noodle arms,” you said teasingly. You looked around, and gawked at how tiny Arendelle was. “Wow. Looks like you made good time last night.” You frowned a bit when you saw the still-frozen fjord, and the thick grey clouds looming over the town.

You looked at Shadow's footprints, and pointed in the direction they were headed towards. “This way to the North Mountain, right?”

Shadow stepped past you, raising your arm up at an angle before he kept walking. You looked forward, and saw a huge mountain looming over you both. “Oh, wow,” you said in an awed voice.

Shadow called from out ahead, “You better be right that the king is up there, or I'm going to be pissed I had to climb it for no reason.”

You ran up next to him. “You said it was the source of the storm. He _has_ to be up there. We just need to find him.”

Shadow nodded and grunted. You looked at him, and saw bags under his eyes. “Hey, Shadow…when was the last time _you_ slept?,” you asked.

He paused, then frowned. “Four nights ago,” he muttered under his breath. You gawked at him.

“Are you kidding me!? You carried me up a mountain because I was tired, when you're going on less sleep than I am?”

He glared at you. “Why'd you think I wanted to wait until dawn before we left? On the night before the coronation, I was bringing my harvested ice to town so I could sell it, so I didn't get a chance to sleep. The night after, I was already on the road to get more ice, but the storm hit before I could find shelter where I could sleep. I would've slept last night if you hadn't insisted on leaving right away.”

You looked away. “I'm sorry, I didn't know.” Boldly, you grabbed him and set him on your back, wrapping his legs around your waist and putting his arms around your chest, his head on top of yours.

“What the hell are you doing?,” he asked.

“You carried me for half the night,” you said. “And I got to get some sleep. I can't promise I can give you that, but I can at least let you rest a little. I'll carry you until I reach the mountain.”

He protested, “But you don't know how to get there!”

You scoffed, “It's that huge mountain you just had me point at, and it's right ahead of me. Not even an idiot princess could miss it.”

He laughed a bit at that. “Fine. But just for a little bit.” A pause. “If you drop me, I'm gonna be pissed.”

You smiled. “I'll try not to.” And you marched forward, Shadow leaning his head on top of yours. Soon, the grip of his arms loosened, the weight of his head on yours increased, and you could hear tiny snores coming from him. You giggled at the sound.

You managed to carry him to the base of the mountain in almost no time. You gently slid him off your back and set him on the ground, trying not go wake him suddenly. You reached out to gently shake his shoulder, but paused and drew back.

You waited about five minutes before waking him up and telling him you had made it to the mountain. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and grabbed the rope and pickaxe. He tied you end of the rope around your waist.

“I'll do the climbing, and pull you along with me,” he said. After a small pause, he quietly added, “Thank you.”

And so the two of you started your way up the mountainside. After just one night, you were so much closer to reaching your brother.

And maybe a little closer to your new ally, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea behind Shadow's outburst and apology is basically: he thinks you're a fool, so he takes his anger out on you, then feels bad when he realizes that he actually "attacked" what was basically an emotional wound for you.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	9. A New Friend

Shadow pulled you up the last part of the mountain's sheer cliff wall. “From here on, it's mostly just steep climbing on foot until we reach the top. There'll be more cliffs in our way up there,” he said to you. “And I'm not running if I don't have to. The snow is too thick, and there are still cliffs everywhere. Better to just walk up.”

You nodded in agreement, and the two of you set off, trying through the thick snow side-by-side. The sun slowly rose, though the air remained just as cold. “At least here it isn't snowing,” you said as a chilling wind blew past you. Shadow nodded stiffly.

Just a few minutes later, you both passed some simple, abstract ice sculptures. Shadow stopped and bent down to look at them. “These are newly frozen, but they couldn't have formed this way naturally, out in the open,” he told you. He kept examining them and continued, “And there's no sign of them being cut into these shapes.”

You smiled, “That must mean Silver made them! With his magic! We’re on the right track!” Shadow nodded.

The two of you kept walking forwards, with you feeling a little more spirited. You were coming closer and closer…maybe you could even find Silver by the end of the day!...Or not, if the mountain was terribly large.

You spotted something as you walked, half buried in the snow. You quickly rushed over and dug it out, Shadow giving you an odd look as you did so. You pulled out the object—a gold wrist ring. “This is Silver's,” you said to Shadow as you presented it. “He must have discarded it when he came this way.”

Shadow took it from you and held it up. “It's a power reducer,” he told you. “Mobians with incredibly strong abilities wear them, to keep them under control.” He showed off his own rings to you. “But mine are nothing compared to this. He must have used it to keep his ice magic at bay.”

He looked around. “But they always come in pairs. Where's the other one?”

You coughed and rubbed at the back of your neck. “It's…at the castle. I…might have gotten mad and grabbed it, when he started to walk away from the party. After that, he…” You trailed off, shuffling your feet.

_It is my fault. The ring held back his magic. If he'd worn it, this wouldn't have—_

“The rings aren't always one hundred percent successful,” Shadow said. “With enough anger, one could still break past the limit they set without removing them. And even wearing just one of the pair, though less effective than both, would still have been perfectly effective.”

You blinked, “What—”

“I'm telling you this because I know you're blaming yourself again. I'm just making sure you have all the facts before you go beating yourself up. While removing one ring may have made the set less effective, it is not wholly your fault for what happened,” he growled, crossing his arms.

You paused, then smiled at him. “Thank you.” Walking ahead of him, you said, “Come on! We can now say that we are one hundred percent on the right track! Let's find Silver as soon as possible!”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “As opposed to some other Mobian with ice magic.” From up ahead, you laughed, and remained undeterred.

He quickly caught up with you, and you both marched on.

* * *

It was now noon. Shadow said you'd made good progress up the mountain, which made you happy. The only other times you two had stopped were to pick some berries from a bush you spotted (after checking they were a non-poisonous kind) to eat as a brunch on the go, and when you came across a frozen river and waterfall, where Shadow made sure the ice was strong enough for you both to safely cross.

As you crossed the river, you finished your last berry. As you did so, your stomach growled. Shadow held the last few of his out to you. “Oh, no,” you told him. “You need to eat, too.”

He shoved them into your hands. “I'm not the one with a growling stomach,” he said.

You shoved them right back into his. “I'm not the one who's been doing most of the mountain climbing,” you retorted.

He shoved them into your hands again, and opened his mouth to say something. You shoved the berries right into his mouth. “There. Now you have to eat them,” you said triumphantly. Shadow glared at you, but swallowed the mushed berries.

You both continued on, Shadow grumbling under his breath. You didn't mind that, or the quieting growls in your stomach. The berries would keep you going, and after so much walking, the cold air was pleasant. You were enjoying the trek, though your mind never strayed from your goal to find Silver.

The next item of notice you came across was a forest with trees covered in icicles that seemed to be thin, dangling strands. As you walked through the curtains of them, you brushed your hand through a group of them, smiling as they chimed musically as they collided.

You stopped in a clearing, looking at how the light filtered through the ice in shining colors. Shadow noticed that you fell behind and came back to your side, looking annoyed. “Sorry,” you apologized, “It's just…it's beautiful. I can't believe Silver made this. It's amazing.”

Shadow looked around the clearing, “It is impressive. King Silver does have some talent with his magic, it seems,” he conceded.

“Yeah, it's pretty neat, isn't it?,” said a voice between the two of you.

You and Shadow turned your heads to look at each other, eyes wide. Both of you looked down. A small snow rabbit beamed up at you. “Hello!,” she said cheerfully.

You yelped and jumped away. Shadow swung his leg and knocked the snow rabbit's head off in a spinning kick. You yelped again. “You killed her!,” you cried.

“No, I'm fine,” said the voice from where the head landed. “I just need to find where it landed…” The body knelt down and began to shift through the snow in front of it. “I think it's close!,” the voice called.

Feeling bad, you walked over to the head, picked it up, and set it gently back onto the body. “Oh, thank you!,” the little snow rabbit said. She turned to Shadow, saying, “I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to startle either of you.”

Shadow huffed. You shot him a look, then said to the rabbit, “It's alright. If I may ask…who _are_ you? And how are you…alive?”

She held a hand up to her chin. “I don't know how I'm alive…all I know is that I woke up down that way when the sun rose. And all I remembered was a white hedgehog hugging me, saying he made me with [y/n]. Oh! And that my name is Cream!,” she said, ending with a large smile.

Shadow grabbed you and pulled you aside, hissing, “What does she mean that you made her? What's going on, [y/n]?”

You said quietly, “I remember…that night when we were kids, before things changed…Silver and I made a snow Mobian together. A rabbit named Cream.” You glanced back at the snow Mobian, who was playing with the icicles. “She wasn't alive when we made her, though. And it was years ago.”

Shadow said, “So the white hedgehog that hugged her…”

“Must have been Silver,” you finished with a nod. “He must have made her on his way up the mountain.” You walked back to Cream and knelt in front of her. “Cream, do you remember anything else about that white hedgehog?”

She thought. “He said something about going back to [y/n]…But then he changed his mind, saying ‘[y/n] could lead Arendelle' and ‘It’s better if I isolate myself',” she said.

You gasped, holding a hand up to your mouth. “Oh, Silver…”

Shadow looked at you. “Sounds like he doesn’t want to come back home.”

You blinked rapidly. “I still have to talk to him. Even if he doesn't want to lead the kingdom, he needs to stop this winter and bring back summer. And I have to bring him home. He can't just shut the world out again,” you said determinedly.

Cream gasped, “Silver? Summer? Those are some other words that I remember!” She smiled and said, “Silver is the one who made me—that white hedgehog, right? And I have some idea about summer, full of light and warmth. I'd love to see what it's like.”

Shadow raised an eyebrow. “You've never experienced heat, have you?,” he asked.

Cream shook her head. “M-mm. But I'd love to know what it feels like!”

Shadow opened his mouth, but you pulled him over to you and whispered, “Don't tell her! It'll crush her!”

He whispered back, “Somebody has to tell her.”

“But not _now_! At least find a better time to break the news to her…she's basically a little kid, she won't take it well,” you said quietly but fiercely.

Shadow grumbled, but said nothing. Cream looked at you two, tilting her head. “What are you talking about?,” she asked.

You said, “Just…wondering if you knew which way Silver had gone.” Cream nodded eagerly. “Could you take us to him?”

Cream looked at you, then at the ground. “I don't know,” she said, “I heard Silver say something about worries…I didn't want to bring him any of those, so I hadn't gone after him at all.” She looked back up at you nervously. “I don't know if seeing him will make him worry or not. I want summer, but I don’t want to upset Silver…”

You placed your hand on her shoulder. “Cream, I'm [y/n]. I'm Silver's sister, and I need to see him,” you said desperately.

Cream’s face lit up. “You're [y/n]?” She wrapped her arms around you tightly in a hug. “I've been wanting to meet you! Silver talked like you were really smart and helpful.” You smiled and returned her hug. Cream looked up at you. “He didn't say how pretty you were, though,” she told you.

You blushed. “That's…very sweet of you to say, Cream.”

She turned to look at Shadow. “And who are you, sir?,” she asked politely.

He grunted, ”Shadow. Now can you please take us to King Silver now?”

Cream nodded, and started skipping through the trees. You got back up onto your feet and quickly followed her, Shadow at your side. “It's not too far, Mister Shadow, [y/n],” she told you. “I can't wait to meet Silver!”

Shadow raised an eyebrow as you left the forest. “Didn't he make you? And talk to you?,” he questioned.

“Yes, but…it was like a dream. Like I wasn't really awake,” Cream said. “I want to see him when I'm awake, so that I can hug him back!”

She stopped on the peak and began to look around. “Now we just have to find the treacherous cavern,” she said. “I know Silver went through one. If we find it, it'll take us straight to him!”

* * *

It had taken some time, and a lot of walking, but the three of you had found the cavern. You gulped as you saw the sharp icicles pointed in your direction. Cream shivered, then reached out to grab your hand. “This is why I didn't come up here by myself. Not just to not sorry Silver, but…it's really spooky.”

Shadow sighed and marched into the cave. “It's also a sign that we're close. Come on."

You lifted Cream onto your shoulders and followed Shadow, giving each icicle a wide berth. “[y/n], what's Silver like?,” Cream asked you.

You frowned. “I…haven't spent time with him in years.” You then smiled softly as you said, “I could tell you what he was like when we were kids, though.”

“Oh, yes, please!,” said Cream, kicking her legs a little in excitement.

“He was very kind and warm,” you started. “And he wore his heart on his sleeve. When he was happy or angry, everyone would know. He tried to hide when he was sad, but everyone still knew.” You smiled and continued, “He always felt he had to make others feel happy and accepted. He was very good at befriending others…although he could be gullible at times. Sometimes our friends would convince him to do the craziest things.”

Cream said, “He sounds so nice!”

“Yeah…” You looked down at the ground. “I don't know if he's still like that, though. He's been so distant…”

Shadow suddenly grabbed your arm and yanked you to the left. “Hey! What—” You saw he had just pulled you away from a icicle. “Oh. Thank you,” you said in relief.

He grunted, “Eyes up. You can save the stories for when we find the king.”

You nodded and followed him, this time watching carefully where you were going. Cream said, “Maybe he's like Mister Shadow.”

“What do you mean?,” you asked as you stepped around a column covered in icicles.

“He acts cold, but deep down he’s kind and warm!,” she said happily.

You sighed and smiled. “Maybe. Just…don't count on that kind of nature from everyone, okay? Don't just blindly trust people,” you warned her. Shadow snorted and mumbled something about you and Prince Hans. You glared at the back on his head.

“Okay, [y/n]. But I know you and Silver and Mister Shadow are all really good people!,” she said happily. You came to the exit of the caverns, and you set her on the ground. She hugged you before you could stand up. “I'm glad to have you as a friend.”

You returned the hug. “I'm glad, too.”

She ran over and hugged Shadow's leg. “I'm glad to have you as a friend too, Mister Shadow!,” she said happily.

Shadow stared down at her, then patted her on the head. You gestured for him to say something. “I'm…glad, too,” he said mechanically. You sighed and shook your head, but Cream accepted this answer and let go of his leg.

Shadow asked, “Are we close to Silver now?”

Cream looked around. “M-hm! He's this way!,” she said, pointing and running off.

“Cream, slow down! Be careful!,” you called, speed walking after her.

Shadow came up to your side. “She'll be fine. She survived getting her head kicked off.”

“But I don't want her to get lost!,” you said, going a little faster. The snow slowed you down, while Cream was hardly affected.

Shadow sighed and rolled his eyes, running ahead to catch Cream. You sighed as he grabbed her hand, and you were able to catch up. “Let's get to Silver quickly, but…carefully,” you said. Cream nodded, while Shadow rolled his eyes.

The three of you walked on, with Cream in the lead.


	10. A Talk With Brother

You stared up the cliff wall you had reached and gulped. “It's…a completely vertical climb,” you said. Shadow looked at you.

“Are you sure we need to climb it?,” he asked, crossing his arms. “I'd hate to make a difficult climb for nothing.”

“Well…Silver could have gone over it easily,” you said. “But maybe there's a way we can go around. Cream?” There was no response. You looked around, only to see that the small snow Mobian had disappeared.

“Cream, where are you?,” you shouted out. Shadow covered your mouth with a hand.

“Don't shout, you fool! You could cause an avalanche!,” he hissed at you. Your eyes widened, and you gulped and nodded. Shadow took his hand from your mouth.

You said to him, “But we still have to find Cream…and a way around this.” You gestured to the cliff wall behind you. Shadow nodded, and started to look in the snow for her footprints. You decided to walk around the cliff's corner and peak around it.

You sighed in relief when you saw Cream playing on a set of icy stairs. You said over your shoulder, “Shadow, I found—" You were cut off as your foot caught on a rock hidden under the snow. Your arms wind milled as you tripped.

Before you ended up with a face full of snow, you were caught in someone's arms. You sighed in relief as Shadow helped you back onto your feet. “Be more careful, would you?,” he said with a sigh. You just smiled and thanked him.

Cream ran over to the two of you. “I'm sorry! I went right for the stairs, but you two disappeared, and I didn't know where, so I just decided to wait for you…” She leapt up and hugged you tightly. You patted her on the back.

“I guess the cliff blocked our view of the…stairs…” You trailed off as your eyes followed the icy stairs up to the ice palace. “Oh, wow,” was all you could say.

Shadow stared as well. “It's…impressive,” he said. You chuckled at the understatement.

“Silver's definitely in there,” you said, and began to confidently march up the steps. Shadow and Cream followed you over the chasm and up the small palace steps. You stood in front of the double doors and took a deep breath.

_What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he's really changed from when we were kids? What if he…won't listen to me?_ , you thought sadly. You clenched your fist by your side, unable to find the strength to lift it and knock.

Shadow said from behind you, “Just knock already. Waiting isn't going to get you anywhere.”

You steeled yourself and knocked on the doors. The sound echoed through the inside of the palace. After waiting a few seconds, the doors slowly opened inwards. Cream ran forward eagerly, but you knelt down and stopped her with a hand.

“Sorry, but…could you two give me a minute alone with him?,” you asked quietly. Cream frowned sadly, and Shadow raised an eyebrow. “It's just…last time I introduced him to someone new, he…well, you know,” you said to Shadow. To Cream you said, “You being alive might shock him. I just want to have a nice, calm conversation so we can figure out how to fix this.”

Shadow sighed and took a seat on the top of the stairs. Cream slowly walked over to sit next to him. You turned away and entered the ice palace.

You looked at the towering arches above you and gawked. After a few seconds, you realized that you were the only person in the large room. “Silver!,” you shouted, “Are you here? I need to talk to you!”

The sound of a footstep made you turn to the stairs. Silver was coming down, his quills untied, his formal wear ditched, only wearing his gloves and shoes. “[y/n]?,” he said in disbelief, rushing down to the bottom of the stairs, but not coming any closer.

You gave a wide smile. “Silver, I'm glad I found you! I'm sorry about the party…” You took a step forward, still smiling.

He quickly took a step back, holding out his hands, gesturing for you to stop. “No, no, you d-don't need to apologize. I overreacted.”

You held out a hand to him. “It's fine, now. I'm here to bring you back home,” you said kindly.

He flinched, then turned away from you. “I can't, [y/n]. It's better for everyone if I isolate myself. So that no one can be hurt by me.” He smiled at you. “You'll be a good leader, [y/n], and you have friends to support you. You don't need me.”

“But—” You were cut off as the front door burst open, Cream rushing in excitedly.

“It's been a minute, [y/n]! I counted out sixty seconds!,” she said happily, giving you a hug.

Silver took a step closer, his eyes widening. “Is that…?” You nodded.

“It's Cream, Silver. Just like we made her when we were kids…but she's alive!” Cream beamed at this, and rushed over to hug Silver's leg. “Your magic is…it's amazing, Silver. Can't you come home with us?,” you pleaded. Cream pulled away from his leg and stood next to you, still smiling.

Silver looked at you and slowly began to take a step forward. Suddenly, he froze, and a look of horror crossed his face. You noticed that he stared at your hair—the part where the streak of white was—with utter fear. “I…I can't!,” he cried, rushing back up the stairs.

“Silver, no, wait!,” you cried, getting up onto your feet and chasing after him. “You can't just run away! Arendelle needs you! _I_ need you! You have to come home!” He slowed down as you spoke, and you said, “We can work together, we can find a way to fix everything and go back home!”

Silver stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to face you. “[y/n], just go back home. Court your prince, and leave me here. It's better this way, in the middle of nowhere. My magic can't affect anyone from here.”

You flinched, an action Silver noticed. “[y/n]? What's wrong?,” he asked, looking worried.

You coughed and said, “You…might have started an external winter in Arendelle.”

Silver's eyes widened in fear, and he backed away into the room on the top floor. “I…what?,” he said, looking at his hands in horror.

You followed him into the room, holding a hand out to him, assuring him, “I-It's okay! No one's mad, no one's hurt, you just need to…fix it! I know you can fix it!”

He looked up at you, horrified. “No, I…I can't! I don't know _how_!” Snow began to whirl around him, and he raised his hands to his head. “I can't…I couldn't…I failed,” he began to mutter to himself as he curled into a ball, the cold winds growing stronger.

You pushed back against the winds, trying to walk to Silver. “Silver, please! It's okay! I’ll help you, and we can fix this together,” you shouted over the wind. “I swear that I'll help you, and that no one will hurt you!”

Silver howled in agony at those words. In one motion, he unfurled himself and floated into the air in a blue aura, as spears of ice magic shot away from him in a circle. One of them struck you in the chest, pushing you back several feet. You gasped at the sharp, icy pain that spread from your chest to the rest of your body.

As you clutched you chest, panting, Silver fell back to the ground on his feet, looking tired. Shadow was suddenly at your side, holding you up. “Are you alright?,” he asked you, sounding a bit worried.

Silver stared at him. “Who is he?” He then shook his head, saying, “No, it doesn't matter. So long as you two both leave right now.”

You glared at him, taking a step forward. “No, Silver. I'm not leaving here without you!,” you cried.

He glared right back. Coldly, he said, “Yes, [y/n]. You are.” He threw some of his magic to the floor, forming a pile of snow and ice. You and Shadow watched as the pile grew and grew into a large monster, towering over the both of you. You and the monster stared at each other.

The monster scooped you and Shadow into one of its massive hands and rushed down the stairs, scooping Cream into its other hand as it passed her. It pushed the front doors open with its shoulder, then stepped out. You were desperately trying to crawl out of its grip.

“Go away,” moaned the monster as it lobbed you and Shadow over the chasm. You shrieked, but had the air knocked out of you when you softly landed in the snow. You lifted your head up, only to duck as Cream flew over your head, falling apart as she hit the ground.

You gasped, but sighed when you saw she was pulling herself back together. “You could have hurt someone!,” you shouted at the snow monster. It had its head turned away from you, and was sitting down on the ground. “Hey! I'm talking to you!,” you shouted.

You started to make a snowball, hoping to get his attention. Shadow grabbed your hands in his. “Hey. Hey. Just calm down. Leave it be,” he told you.

You took a deep breath. “Okay! Okay. I'm calm now.” Shadow let go of your hands, only lightly holding one wrist to lead you away. When his back was turned to you, you threw the snowball at the snow monster. “Let me see my brother!,” you screamed at it.

There was a pause as the snowball pitifully hit against its shoulder, and the monster stared blankly at you. Then it roared at you, spikes of ice bursting from its back and fingertips.

Shadow growled, “Damn it, [y/n]! Now you just made it mad!” He scooped you up bridal-style and ran for the nearby forest.

“What about Cream?,” you shouted, looking for the snow rabbit.

She waved at you from a different spot on the tree line. “I'll catch up with you later, [y/n], Mister Shadow!,” she shouted as she ducked into the trees.

You changed a glance behind you, and paled as you saw the monster coming closer. “Shadow! Can't you run at super speed?,” you asked, panicked.

He grunted back, “Not in this snow! Don't worry, the trees will slow him down.” As you made it into the forest, he growled at you, “What the hell were you thinking, pissing him off like that?”

You lowered your head. “I…I got mad. That Silver kicked us out. I'm sorry, Shadow. I didn't mean to cause more trouble,” you said quietly.

Shadow stared at your face for a second, then shook his head and looked away. “It's…it's fine. And save the apologizes for when we're out of this mess,” he said quietly back.

He dodged the last tree of the forest, then suddenly stopped. “Shit!,” he growled, looking ahead. You had to agree with him. In front of you was the edge of a cliff, looking quite steep, and the loud crashes from behind you told you there was no time to find another path.

Shadow gently plopped you down in the snow, then began digging at the snow at the very edge of the cliff. “What are you doing?,” you asked as he placed the rope on the ground.

“I'm making a snow anchor,” he told you, “So that we can grapple down quickly.”

You glanced behind you, seeing trees thrown out of the way. Gulping, you asked, “Are you sure it's sturdy enough? What if we fall?”

He turned to look at you. “There’s several feet of snow down there,” he told you, “It'll be just like landing on a pillow.” He rushed to you and tied the rope around your waist, then handed you his pickaxe and knife. As he tied the rope around himself, he said, “I'll need both hands to grapple down. Keep a tight grip on those.”

A loud crash came from behind you. Shadow leapt down the cliff wall, and you were dragged after him. You sighed in relief as the anchor held, and Shadow quickly clamored down the wall, while your grip tightened around the things he gave you, your knuckles beginning to turn white.

A soft voice came from above you. “[y/n]? Mister Shadow? I think I lost the snow monster! Where are you?”

You glanced down at Shadow. “We need to go back for Cream!,” you told him worriedly.

Shadow shouted back up the cliff, “Cream, we're climbing down the cliff. Do you think you can follow us?”

Cream said, “Okay!” Then you heard a snort from the clifftop. “Oh no. Don't worry, I'll distract him!,” Cream called down to you. “Hello!”

You flinched when you heard a loud smack, then gasped when you saw Cream fly over the edge of the cliff and fall down below. “Oh no.” Then the rope you and Shadow were tied to was slowly lifted up. “Oh no no no no no,” you moaned, scrabbling at the cliff with you legs.

You looked to Shadow for help, only to see his head strike against the rocky wall. “Shadow!,” you called. But he hung limp and unconscious. You glanced back up fearfully, looking into the glaring eyes of the snow monster that was delicately holding onto your rope.

“Don't come BAAAACK!,” he bellowed in your face.

“We won't," you said with a gulp, unsheathing the knife. Gathering your courage, you sliced through the rope, sending you and Shadow falling to the bottom. The snow monster snorted and turned away, letting his piece of rope fall to the bottom with you.

As you fell, you clutched onto the item in your hands. “Please tell me Shadow was right,” you whispered to yourself, scrunching your eyes closed.

The landing was…hardly jarring at all. You opened your eyes and found yourself waist-deep in white, fluffy snow. “Oh thank _God_ , you were right,” you said in relief, patting the snowbank. “Just like a pillow.”

Cream ran up to you, sinking into the snow every few steps. “Are you and…Mister Shadow…alright?,” she asked as she kept falling into and crawling out of the snowbank.

You nodded, then froze. “Shadow!,” you cried, and started digging through the snow around you. As soon as you felt something that wasn't snow, you grabbed onto it and pulled it out.

Shadow was pulled into a sitting position, shaking the snow out of his quills. He groaned softly, and you began to feel at the back of his head. “What…are you doing?,” he asked, giving you an odd look.

“I'm making sure you're not injured,” you told him. “You were just knocked unconscious. I want to be sure that you’re okay.”

He grunted and pushed you back, standing up slowly, then offering you a hand to help you up. “You don't need to worry about me,” he said. He froze, staring at you. “Worry about your hair!”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you kidding me? We fell off a cliff! Is this the time to worry about how we look?”

“[y/n], your hair is turning _white_!,” he exclaimed.

You pulled the usual white strand out in front of your face, gasping when you saw it had grown thicker…and was growing thicker still. “What—” You were cut off as a sudden cold hit you, and you began to shiver.

Shadow saw this and pulled you closer to him. You sighed as you absorbed his body heat. “T-thanks,” you said with chattering teeth.

He looked away. When he turned back, he asked, “Did King Silver…do something to you?”

You bit your lip. “Some…magic hit me. But he didn't mean to! I know he didn't! There was magic everywhere in the room at that moment, he didn't mean to hit me!,” you protested.

He shushed you kindly. “I understand. But if this is magic…my family can help you,” he assured you.

“The…love experts?,” you asked as another wave of shivers came over you.

He nodded. “They're magic experts, too.” He scooped you up into his arms, bridal-style. “Once we get out of this snow, I can get us to them in no time.”

Cream grabbed onto his leg. “What about me, Mister Shadow? I can't run very fast,” she said sadly.

You reached down and grabbed her, placing her onto your stomach. Cream smiled at you and curled up against your torso. Shadow sighed and looked at you.

“Are you sure about this, [y/n]?,” he asked. “I don't know if having a being of snow against you will feel very good.”

You smiled and patted Cream’s head. “Feels better than leaving her behind,” you said softly.

Shadow said nothing, and began carrying you out of the mountain range.

* * *

Back in the ice palace, Silver was pacing back and forth. “Keep it together. Control it, don't let it control you,” he said to himself over and over, staring at the ground.

A large crack made his ears perk, and caused him to look up. He gasped. The insides of the walls had started to crack, and the way the sun shone on them made them seemed like large, horrible figures, ready to pounce on him.

He closed his eyes and looked away, but whenever he did that, all he could see was your face, looking so happy and trusting, and hear your kind and encouraging words…only to fade into the memory of him striking you with his magic.

He held back a sob. _Is there no peace for me anywhere?_


	11. Meeting the Family

By noon, Shadow had gotten out of the mountain pass, and he ran at high speeds into the forest until evening. You spent the time dozing off and curling up against Shadow for more body heat. Cream would start some small talk with you, which you engaged in, and tried to talk with Shadow, who said nothing.

The sun was now setting, and the Northern Lights appeared in the sky. “The sky is awake, [y/n]!,” Cream said in a hushed, awed voice. You smiled, remembering when Silver would say things just like that.

Shadow started to decelerate as he went deeper into the woods. “There are too many trees in the way,” he told you as he continued walking. On the way he grabbed some mushrooms you recognized as edible, and he handed half to you. The two of you ate in silence. You were grateful for the food, as the mushroom was surprisingly filling, abolishing the hunger you hadn't noticed until now.

Holding Cream against your chest and swallowing the last of your meal, you asked Shadow, “So…what's your family like?”

He paused, then responded, “They're…different. They're very kind, but meeting them can be…jarring. I was a bit startled the first time I met them.”

“Met them?,” you asked.

He sighed and continued, “I'm not really related to them biologically. I didn't have any kind of family before them, though. I was just a kid that would sneak away from the orphanage and follow ice harvesters, looking for adventures. One night, when I was five years old, I saw a strange sight. A magical one. That’s when I met them. They adopted me, taking me in and raising me.”

You smiled up at him. “Aw, we have something in common,” you cooed.

He looked away and grumbled, “You should be more worried about your condition. How are you feeling?”

You shivered violently. “Cold,” you said simply. Shadow tightened his grip, bringing you closer to his chest. You leaned against him, quietly thanking him as you took in his body heat.

“We're almost there,” he assured you. “I have to warn you: you might think I'm crazy. But we just have to wait until nightfall, and then you'll understand.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay…”

He walked into a clearing filled with round, mossy rocks, then stood in the center and stopped. “W-what's wrong?,” you asked.

“Nothing,” he said, “We're here. Like I said, we have to wait until nightfall.”

Cream squirmed and jumped down from your arms and began to run around the clearing, filled with youthful energy. She started to climb on the round rocks, to which Shadow told her, “I wouldn't do that.”

She jumped down and came back over to you two. “Sorry, Mister Shadow,” she said before looking at you. “[y/n], come play with me!”

You started to crawl out of Shadow’s arms, but he tightened his grip. “You should be resting,” he said bluntly.

You huffed at him, “You said your family can’t help until nightfall comes, right? The sun doesn't set for a few more minutes, and I won't be doing much. And I'm sure you're tired of carrying me.”

He sighed and let go, and you went with Cream to the edge of the clearing. The two of you sat and made tiny sculptures out of sticks and dirt, while you told Cream about some of the adventures you and Silver had go on when you were kids. Shadow stood at the center of the clearing, glancing between you and the sunset, tapping his foot impatiently.

The sun sank below the horizon, and stars began to shine brightly in the sky behind the colored ribbons of the Northern Lights. You flinched as the round rocks surrounding you began to shake. “Shadow?,” you called out, a little worried.

“It's alright,” he told you, standing still. You gasped as the rocks all started to roll towards him, and your jaw dropped when they stopped in front of him and unfurled to reveal short, rock-like beings.

One of them looked up at Shadow and cheered to the others, “Shadow’s home!” The entire group began cheering and clapping, several of the small ones running forward and hugging his legs and leaping into his arms.

Shadow shook his head, but you could still see a hint of a smile on him. “Where's Grandpabbie?,” he asked the one who had announced his arrival earlier.

“He's napping,” said one of the younger ones. “Shadow, I earned my fire crystal!,” he continued, showing off the warmly glowing object. The others started to crowd around him, chattering about other things that had happened while he was gone, with several of them still coming forward to hug him.

Both you and Cream were gawking at the creatures. “[y/n], what are they?,” she asked you, clinging onto your arm.

“Trolls,” you said, disbelieving laughter under your breath. “They're trolls!”

The entire group of trolls turned their heads to look at you. You gulped, feeling self-conscious from their stares. One of them suddenly cheered, “He brought a girl!” The others all started cheering again, and several of them pulled you up onto your feet and dragged you next to Shadow.

“What's happening?,” you asked Shadow, a bit worried.

He sighed, “Just wait for them to get it out of their system. That's what I've learned to do.”

Three trolls came up to you, standing on each other's shoulders to look you in the eyes. The top one rubbed at her chin, appraising you before smiling widely. “The human princess! I always knew you'd find a good one, Shadow!,” she declared, sending a wink his way.

The trolls began to cheer out, “Way to go!” “Knew you'd find a good one!” “About time you put yourself on the market!”

Shadow groaned and buried his face in his hands as trolls came forward to congratulate him. The troll looking you in the eyes asked you, “So, how long have you two been together?”

You blushed and stammered, “Oh, we're not…”

Shadow sighed and said, “That's not why I brought her. Can somebody please go get Grandpabbie?”

The trolls all looked at each other, then back at the two of you. More trolls jumped onto the shoulders of others so they could look you in the eye. You gulped, feeling a bit nervous.

One leaned forward to look you in the eyes. “So, dear, why are you holding back from our Shadow?,” she asked. You gulped and began to sweat. She continued on, “Is it because of the way he scoffs and brushes people off? It's all because of how he doesn't want you to realize how much he actually cares!”

Another troll told you, “He acts grumpy, but he’s a big softie deep down inside! And he only belittles others to push them to fix their flaws.”

Yet another added, “He acts tough and rough and likes to brag about it, All so that no one can call him weak, or see the soft spots he has.”

Shadow groaned and yelled, “We don't have time for this! We have an actual problem here, and that's the reason I brought her! This isn't a ‘meeting the family' thing! Someone please get Grandpabbie!”

A troll came up to you and said, “He’s just saying that because he hates it when people know how good he really is inside, deep down. And he knows that we know all about that, and that we will tell you everything you need to hear.”

Another added, “He looks away from people so that they can't tell what he's feeling! Especially when he's try to hide a blush or soft smile.”

Someone chimed, “He actually has a soft spot for kittens, and loves stargazing and long walks in forests and mountains. He's quite the romantic once you get to know him.”

The trolls said as a group, “Basically, he puts up that cold front so others can't see the warmth he has inside!”

You smiled a little, while Shadow huffed and crossed his arms, looking away. Trolls came up to his side and began to point at his posture. “He acts all guarded to try and hide how much he really likes you!,” they declared.

The trolls all shrugged, saying, “He doesn’t like to open up, sometimes not even with us. But we know the best way to fix that! Find someone he loves!”

They pushed you both together so that you were propping each other up…except that you were too tall, and both you and Shadow fell onto the ground. Cream ran up to you two, sided by some trolls, and offered you both hands to help you up onto your feet.

Shadow stood up and growled under his breath, “That's enough.” He shouted at the group of trolls, “She is courting somebody else! Okay?” You flinched and looked at the trolls, a bit worried about what their reaction might be.

The trolls paused, blinking, then hurried away from the two of you to talk to each other in hushed voices. You looked over at Shadow, wringing your hands. “Are…” _you okay?_ “…they always like this?,” you quietly asked.

Shadow sighed. “Like I said, they're ‘love experts'. They've been pushing me to find that ‘special someone’ for years now,” he told you.

The trolls all turned back to you two. One asked, “Courting isn't a relationship set in stone. But tell me, princess, do you have the spark?”

You blinked, confused. “What's the ‘spark'?,“ you asked. You remembered that Amy had something like that, too…

The trolls gasped. One told you, “The spark is something you feel when you have a strong connection with someone. When two hearts, like kindling, strike together, making a spark that starts the fires of passion. You might not realize you feel at the moment, but when you look back, it'll be clear as crystal.”

Another, younger one, asked you, “So, do you have it?”

You thought back on the party, with the time you had spent with Hans. You were surprised when you realized that you had hardly thought about the time you spent with him on this journey. All you had thought about was that confrontation with Silver at the party.

Looking back on how you and Hans spent time together…You swallowed, and started to answer, “I think—”

You were cut off when a sudden pain stabbed into your heart, and cold ran through your whole body. You shivered violently and collapsed. Shadow quickly caught you in his arms, and you leaned against his weight, breathing heavily. You were still seeing spots from the pain.

Shadow held you closer to him. “She's as cold as ice,” he said to the trolls, sounding a bit…panicked? _Odd_ , you thought, _He's been pretty calm in most situations we were in. That or angry._

You looked up as you heard another rock rolling forward. The most recent rock unfurled itself, revealing an elderly troll. “There is a strange magic here,” he said gruffly.

“Grandpabbie…” Shadow said, still sounding worried.

“Bring her here,” the elder troll—Grandpabbie—told him. Shadow carried you over and held you out to him. The troll felt at your head, and then at your heart, before giving a grief-filled sigh.

“[y/n], there is ice in your heart, put there by your brother,” he told you sadly. “If you cannot get rid of it…the ice will quickly spread, and you will be frozen solid and will perish.” The other trolls gasped in horror.

You were close enough to Shadow that you could hear him gulp. “But…you can fix it? Right, Grandpabbie?,” he asked, holding you out a little closer to the elder troll.

He shook his head sadly. Voice heavy with grief, he said, “I'm sorry, Shadow. If it was her head, or anything else, I could remove it. But the heart is too delicate for me to do that. The ice needs to be thawed…and only an act of true love can do that.”

One of the trolls behind him said, “A true love's kiss, perhaps!” Several troll couples turned to kiss each other, while others looked expectantly at you and Shadow.

Shadow stood up, lifting you. “Hans told you he was starting to love you, right?,” he asked. You nodded, still shivering violently. “We need to get you to the castle as soon as possible.”

You nodded, and slowly reached out a hand to grab Cream. Shadow slapped it away. “No. You are not holding snow, or anything cold, against you,” he said sternly.

Cream frowned, and you stuttered, “B-b-but…”

He sighed. “Look, she can right on my back, okay?,” he said. He grabbed the snow Mobian and dropped her on his back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Shadow sped off through the forest, holding you tightly against his chest.

Cream cheered. “Let's save [y/n] with Hans!” Leaning down she asked, “Mister Shadow, who is Hans?”


	12. Captured Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Reader P.O.V in this chapter. This just shows what happened after you left the palace, and before you come back.

The day after you had left, in the afternoon, Sonic and Tails were hard at work. Sonic was running from door-to-door at high speeds, delivering blankets, soup, and firewood. Tails had a list of houses which he checked off of every time Sonic came back for more supplies. The servants, and some of the nobles, kept bringing a steady stream of the supplies coming.

Amy came up to Tails, carrying some thermoses of soup. “Is everything going alright?,” she asked him.

Tails nodded. “Everything's fine for now, but…the storm's getting worse. I hope [y/n] brings Silver back soon,” he said worriedly.

A whinny from behind made their ears perk up. They both turned around and saw a horse, fully saddled, but without a rider. Tails and Amy cautiously approached the horse, who was snorting and stamping her hooves, looking displeased about the cold weather and snow.

Amy asked, “Tails…isn't that [y/n]’s horse?”

Tails said, “I think so. But then…where's [y/n]?”

The stable grooms ran up to the horse, grabbing her bridal and leading her back to the stables. “We ‘outta tell Prince ‘ans and the cabnit,” one said to the other. “Princess [y/n] could be in trouble.”

Tails and Amy turned to look at each other, them looked back at the grooms. “We can tell them,” Amy said to them, Tails nodding behind her. The grooms looked relived, and brought the horse back into the stables.

The two of them left quickly, going inside and heading for the cabinet room. Sonic caught up with them and asked, “What's going on?”

Tails answered, “We think [y/n]’s in trouble! We have to tell Prince Hans!”

Sonic, looking worried, grabbed their wrists and dragged them behind him to their destination. They burst in through the doors, making Hans, Knuckles, and the cabinet members look up. Prince Hans asked them, “What has happened?”

Amy cried, “[y/n]’s horse came back, without [y/n]!”

Tails cried, “She could be lost, or hurt, or worse!”

Prince Hans paled, looking extremely worried. “This is terrible. I'm going after her,” he said, standing up abruptly. The cabinet cried out in panic, all talking at once about losing their leader.

Hans lifted up a hand, silencing them. “I leave the head of the cabinet as the leader until I return. I will take any Mobians who wish to join me, and I will find Princess [y/n] and bring her back home.”

One cabinet member said, “Sir, Princess [y/n] will likely refuse to come home unless she has King Silver with her. And she can be quite…stubborn, when she wishes to be.”

Prince Hans said, “Then we will bring home King Silver, as well.” He walked over to a table and grabbed a sword and sheath, placing it on his belt.

Knuckles stepped forward. “I'm coming with you. As I was saying just now, everything points to King Silver being the only one who can stop this magic storm,” he said.

Sonic stepped forward. “The citizens all have their supplies, and they know that they can get more here at the castle. I'm coming to help our friends.”

Tails stood next to him. “I'm coming, too!”

Amy stepped forward, “And so am I!”

Sonic turned to look at both of them. “You two should stay here,” he said. “You need to keel helping the citizens, and…I don't want either of you getting hurt.”

Amy blushed and looked away. “If you say so…” she said, trying to hide a smile.

Tails grumbled and looked down at the ground. “I guess I'll stay,” he muttered.

Prince Hans stood and began to march out the door. “Come! We must hurry, before any kind of trail we have is lost!” Sonic and Knuckles followed him.

The trio crossed the fjord, where Duke Robotnik was hammering at the ice, Rouge hovering overhead and keeping an eye on him. “Don't get too used to this route,” he told them. “I'm taking out the weak points. Eventually, any weight will make it crack into pieces. So unless you all want to go for a swim in freezing water…”

“Thank you for your help,” Prince Hans said. They continued on, Sonic running ahead to find a trial, while Knuckles climbed up the cliff walls and dropped a rope down for the others.

Deep in the woods, Sonic's ears perked up as he heard a whirring sound behind them. Swiftly turning, he saw Tails, flying behind them using his double tails. “I thought I told you to stay behind,” said Sonic sternly.

Tails landed and glared up at him. “I told you. I'm going to help you find Silver and [y/n]. If you tell me to leave, I’ll just keep following you, and if you take me back, you'll lose precious time.” He smiled. “Plus, I can help by flying you over cliffs. Please just take me with you,” he finished.

Sonic sighed. “Fine. You can help us. Just try to keep up, okay?” Tails beamed and nodded. Sonic looked around, worried. “Amy didn't decide to follow us, too, did she?,” he asked. He sighed in relief when Tails shook his head.

And so the quartet walked onwards through the snowy forest.

* * *

Early next morning, after a long night of walking and searching for footprints, the four of them were warming themselves in a small trading post.

“Did anyone pass by here last night? Perhaps a human?,” Prince Hans asked the three Mobians behind the desk.

“A human…yeah, we saw her,” said Vector. “She was asking about…what was she asking about, Espio?”

The chameleon sighed and said, “She inquired as to whether we had seen King Silver pass through the area, to which we said no. Then the other customer came in.”

Charmy eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, yeah! The grumpy hedgie who you threw out, Vector! After he called us crooks.”

Vector scratched his head. “All I remember, besides throwing that guy out, is that the human bought some clothes and boots, a pickaxe, rope, and coffee beans, then left. Don't know which way,” he said with a shrug.

Espio sighed again. “She was asking that hedgehog about the North Mountain, and bought the things he wanted. So clearly she bribed him with the items, and the both of them went to the North Mountain.”

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles looked at each other, giving small smiles. Princes Hans simply stood up and walked out the door, saying, “Thank you for your information.”

The other three quickly followed him, while Vector called out after them, “Hey, aren't you guys going to buy anything!?”

* * *

Tails stared up at the ice palace, his jaw dropping. It had taken the group of nobles most of the day to climb the North Mountain, following any odd ice patterns they found, which led them to a set of icy stairs, leading up to an elaborate palace which the three Mobians gawked at.

Prince Hans, at the head of the group, stepped forward. “King Silver must be within,” he said to them. “Be on your guard. But do not harm the king, or push him to drastic measures.”

Sonic laughed and rubbed at his nose. “No need to tell us twice,” he said. “Silver's our friend! We know to not rough him up too much.”

Prince Hans said nothing, and began to walk up the icy stairs. Tails walked up to Sonic and asked him quietly, “Does something feel…odd about him to you?”

Sonic glanced at the prince, then at his brother, and quietly answered, “A little. But I figured that was because he's human, from a human kingdom. He's going to be a little different from the humans we do know.”

Knuckles walked past then, saying, “Less talking, more walking, you two.” Sonic and Tails followed him to the icy stairs, which Prince Hans had already reached the top of.

Suddenly, the large lump of snow next to the castle lifted up its head, revealing it was a snow monster! It quickly stood on its feet and roared at Hans, who quickly drew his sword. Sonic ran up the stairs and tackled Hans out of the way as the monster swung a clawed hand at him.

Tails flew around the monster’s head, and the monster turned its attention to trying to swat him. “Get in the castle! I'll hold him off!,” he shouted to the others. Hans quickly got onto his feet and dashed inside, while Sonic went in more reluctantly.

“Be careful, Tails!,” he shouted just before he entered. Tails chuckled, and continued to fly just out of the monster's reach.

He miscalculated, though, as one of the monster's swings grazed his side, knocking him slightly lower in altitude. He braced himself as the monster raised a hand, ready to swing downward and slam him to the ground.

Suddenly, Knuckles charged up the rest of the stairs and punched the monster over the cliff with an angry yell. Tails floated down to the ground, sighing in relief as Knuckles came over to help him up.

“Taking risks just to let someone else get away,” growled Knuckles. “I think your brother is rubbing off on you.” Tails just grinned as he got back up onto his feet, and the two of them hurried into the ice palace.

They came in just in time to see Silver run up the stairs, while Sonic and Hans were trying to break apart the thick, icy columns that webbed in front of them, blocking their path. Knuckles rushed forward, fists swinging wildly, and punched through the columns with ease.

“Thanks, Kunckles!,” yelled Sonic as he weaved through the last few columns, running up the icy stairs. Prince Hans ducked under the columns and followed him, while Tails flew through an overhead gap. Knuckles punched through the last column, and was the last to reach the stairs.

Silver stood in the center of a smaller room on the second floor, looking around worriedly. When he saw the four of them come up the stairs, he used his psychokinesis to slam the doors in their faces, then sealed them with an icy blast.

Knuckles rushed forward and punched through the thin doors, and the four rushed inside. Silver was standing on the balcony, one foot on the edge, about to jump off. “Hold it, Silver!,” shouted Sonic, rushing forward at super speed to grab him.

Silver floated out of his reach, dodging him. Sonic smashed through the railing, only just managing to grab the balcony's edge before falling. Silver gasped and grabbed him in a light blue aura, quickly lifting him back to solid ground, and pushing him to the other side of the room, where Tails caught him.

Prince Hans stepped forward, his sword lowered. “King Silver,” he said, “We are here to bring you and Princess [y/n] back to Arendelle. Please come quietly.”

Silver shook his head, saying, “No, no, no. I can't come back. I—” He paused. “What do you mean, bring [y/n] home? She left here only an hour ago. You…you didn't run into her on your way here?,” he asked, looking worried.

Sonic got back up onto his feet and shook his head. “Silver, if you come with us, you can help us find [y/n],” he said, extending a hand out. Silver quickly took several steps back.

“No, I can't,” he said. “I'm too dangerous for anyone to be near me. Please, just leave.” He turned away from them and went towards the smashed balcony.

Knuckles growled. “That's it. I climbed a mountain to get here, and we are NOT going back empty-handed!,” he yelled as he charged at Silver.

Silver quickly dodged, throwing some ice magic to freeze the echidna’s feet to the floor. Knuckles punched the air in Silver's direction angrily, still trying to hit him. Tails flew over to his side. “Knuckles, just calm down,” he said.

Silver dashed for the doors, but was stopped when Sonic came up beside him and grabbed his wrist. Panicking, Silver swatted him away, flinging him to the wall with his psychokinesis. Sonic struggled against the aura as a light frost began to creep across his fur.

Silver was looking quite panicked, glancing between Knuckles and Sonic. Frost was spreading from his feet, sticking him to his position in the center of the room. “Silver, calm down!,” shouted Tails, who was trying to pull Knuckles’ feet from the block of ice. But Silver found it difficult to hear him, with the panic running through his mind. Snow began to whirled around him, and he could barely hold onto his focus on his psychokinesis.

From above him, he heard the sound of metal striking ice. He looked up, just in time to see the chandelier above him come falling down.

For a second, all he could feel was pain. Then, there was only darkness.

* * *

Sonic gasped as he dropped down to the floor, landing on his feet. Looking up, he saw Tails pull Knuckles free, and Prince Hans walk to the fallen chandelier, picking his sword up off the ground.

Knuckles marched over to the human prince. “What happened to ‘don't harm the king', huh? What made you drop a chandelier on him?,” he demanded.

Hans sheathed his sword and looked down at the echidna. “Silver was behaving dangerously, and you and Prince Sonic were unable to fight back,” he said calmly. “Besides, the durability of Mobians is extraordinary. King Silver should be uninjured.”

Sonic came over. “Don't you think dropping the chandelier on his head was a little…extreme, though?” Tails nodded in agreement.

Prince Hans gave a hard look that made them shiver. “It worked, did it not?,” he said coolly. “Now, Prince Knuckles, if you could please clear the debris. We must take King Silver back to Arendelle, but carefully. He has shown himself to be dangerous, and could be involved in the disappearance of Princess [y/n].”

As Knuckles lifted the chandelier and dragged Silver out of the wreckage, Tails protested, “But Silver isn't dangerous! He saved Sonic from falling, and he didn't hurt any of us, even when he was upset!”

Prince Hans sighed, scooping the unconscious white hedgehog into his arms. “He still has dangerous abilities and magic. We must handle him carefully.” Turning to the stairs, he continued, “We must go back quickly, and figure out from there where Princess [y/n] has gone.”

The three Mobians followed him, glaring at his back. “What does [y/n] see in him?,” Tails whispered to the others. They could only shrug.

* * *

When Silver woke up, his arms were locked in long chains, connected to the wall. He was in a tint brick room, the only features being an old wood and iron doors, the chains he was in, and a tiny window covered by iron bars.

Glancing outside, he gasped as he recognized the shapes of the buildings, though they were covered in thick snow that still poured from the sky. He was in Arendelle!...trapped in an unnatural winter.

He flinched as his door opened, Prince Hans stepping inside. “King Silver. You must stop this winter,” he said calmly.

Silver shook his head. “I…I don't know how.” He sighed and looked down. “Please let me speak to [y/n].”

Hans sighed, “Princess [y/n] has not yet returned. We are organizing a search party as I speak. Do you have any idea of her location?”

Silver shook his head, saying sadly, “I told her to go home…I don't know where she's gone.”

Prince Hans sighed, then left the room, closing the door behind him. Silver sat against the wall, bring his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his arms.


	13. True Colors

It was so cold. You kept dozing off, almost falling asleep, but Shadow shook you roughly every time, jolting you awake. You wished you had the energy to thank him for it.

Soon, you realized that it wasn't just you that was cold. Shadow ran across the frozen fjord, snow steadily falling onto all of you. He held you closer to him, and you leaned your head against his chest. His pounding heart filled you with warmth and helped you to stay awake.

You got another jolt and had the breath knocked out of you as Shadow skipped the wooden docks and jumped from the frozen fjord to the brick street. Cream yelped, and was knocked off of Shadows back, then pushed away by a strong wind.

You shifted in his arms, trying to reach out to her. Shadow tightened his grip and shook his head. “There's no time,” he hissed at you. To Cream he yelled, “Get to the castle! And try to be discreet!”

Cream stopped fighting the wind, letting it carry her away. “Okay, Mister Shadow!,” she shouted as she disappeared in the falling snow.

Shadow held you close, then ran through the town. You watched as the buildings all blurred together, wishing you had the energy to enjoy traveling at super speed. Just a few seconds later, Shadow was pounding on the castle doors.

They were soon opened by some Mobian servants, who gasped at the sight of your shivering form. “Get her somewhere warm,” Shadow told them as two of them lofted you out of his arms and onto your feet, using their bodys to support you. You groaned as you were moved.

“Shadow…” you said quietly, trying to reach out to him. A fit of coughing stopped you. The servants started to lead you away, several of them running ahead, saying they would start a fire.

“Find Prince Hans immediately,” Shadow said to some remaining servants. “She needs an act of true love to be saved.” The servants nodded, then closed the doors. You looked behind you as you were brought around the corner, hoping that Shadow would be okay.

Soon, you were sitting in the study, sitting on the couch and covered in layers of blankets, basking in the glow of the roaring fire in the fireplace. The servants had even lit most of the candles in the room, trying to do anything to warm you up.

Though it all felt nice, you were still freezing on the inside. You knew that the warmth could only delay the inevitable. You needed that act of true love that the trolls had spoken of.

You looked up as the door opened, a worried Hans stepping inside as one of the servants whispered a few things to him. Once the door was closed, he rushed up to you. “Princess [y/n]!,” he cried, “What happened? The servants said you needed an act of true love to save you. What did they mean?”

You coughed and shivered. “Silver…accidently froze my heart,” you said weakly. “I need an act of true love to thaw it. Like…true love's kiss…just like in fairy tales.” You looked up at Hans desperately. “You…said you were starting to love me. Please…”

Hans sat down next to you, gently grabbing onto your shoulders. Your blanket slowly slipped off of you as he brought you closer to him. Your lips were so close to touching, just starting to brush against each other…when he pulled back, a wicked smirk on his face. “Poor, foolish human princess,” he chuckled.

You gasped as he stood up, walking to stand in front of the fireplace. “W-what?,” you stammered. “H-Hans…”

He chuckled darkly. “Oh, Princess. There is no Prince Hans. There never was. And the Northern Islands don't have any kingdom. They're just some barren rocks in the middle of the ocean.”

You gulped as shivers racked your body again. “W-who are you, then?,” you stammered.

Hans' body…flickered, then began to melt away. In his spot was a cloud of swirling black smoke, which emitted a cold wind as it began to twist into a different form. The candles were blown out, and the fire began to waver. You shuddered.

The black smoke shaped itself into the form of an odd-looking Mobian. A black and grey hedgehog, who looked as though he were made of crystals. He had green eyes—the same shade as Hans' had been—but with red sclera. You noticed he didn't have a mouth, but he still somehow said to you, “You can call me Mephiles…for what little time you have left. And I'm sure you already know what I am, don't you? What with your kingdom's extensive library.”

You shivered. “Mephiles the Dark. A d-demon.”

He nodded, and began to pour water from a nearby urn onto the fire. You tried to stand up, trying to stop him, but only fell onto the floor, the air knocked out of you. You were too weak to stand up. Mephiles came over to you, looking down at your fallen frame.

“And earlier, you demonstrated that you already know that when a demon takes a throne, its true power is released, destroying the kingdom.” he said. “The plan was simple. Take a human form, and charm the human princess. Being alone in a land of Mobians would make you easily swayed, using some sweet, sappy gestures and some minor hypnosis. Some stronger hypnosis while you and the king slept, conditioning you into completely loving me and him into totally accepting me, would mean our marriage would come quickly. Arendelle had a policy of closing its gates, meaning there would be little, if any, outside interference or questions. Then it would be a simple matter of the king facing an unfortunate accident soon after the wedding, and I would ascend to the throne as your husband.”

He looked out the window, out at the storm. “The king possessing magic was…unexpected. So was you running off to find him. I had thought it would delay or even ruin my plans, but now, everything has worked out. Better than expected, even.”

He looked back down at you, his muzzle shifting as though there was a smiling mouth there. “You're laying here, dying, and it's the king’s fault,” he said almost cheerfully. “All I need to do is tell the cabinet that we said our wedding vows in your last moments, mournfully saying it had been your last wishes, and order the execution of King Silver. Then, the throne will come to me, and I can release my raw power…my other half…my ‘twin'.”

You pushed yourself up a little more, glaring at him. “You won't get away with this,” you hissed at him. “No one will accept your lie of us getting married. Even if they did believe it, they won't consider it valid. Not without an officiant or witness. You won't take our throne.”

He hummed. “What you say is true. Even if I could sway the cabinet to my side with my powers influencing their weak little minds…it would be easier for me if they accepted it right away. If only I had a witness…” He turned to look at an armchair beside the door. “Maybe that little spy that thought he could sneak in here behind me?,” he snarled.

A tiny yelp came from behind the chair. Tails came from behind it and ran to the door. His fingertips just brushed against the handle before Mephiles struck him in the back of the head. Tails fell to the floor, unconscious.

Mephiles turned into a cloud of black smoke again, pouring into the fox’s shadow. Seconds later, he emerged as a somewhat larger cloud, splitting into two pieces. The clouds swirled for a few seconds before taking shape again. Standing in front of you were that handsome human prince and a second Tails.

Mephiles, the one shaped as Hans, grabbed Tails by one of his tails and tossed him next to you. You crawled on the floor to him, trying to see if he was fine. “He's not dead,” “Hans” told you. “He's merely unconscious and weakened. He will live to see the rise of Iblis.”

“Unlike you,” the Tails clone added. You glared at the two of them as they turned away, “Hans" starting to open the door.

“I won't…let you…do this,” you growled as you crawled closer. Both of them scoffed at you.

“Even if you weren't dying,” said “Hans", “What do you think you could do? You weak, pathetic human.” The Tails clone slipped by him, and “Hans" walked out the door, closing it behind him. You heard the distinct click of the old, finicky lock.

You tried to push yourself to the door, but a sudden wave of cold hit you. You curled into a ball, shivering. It was so cold…you were so tired…no! You couldn't fall asleep! There was a reason Shadow had kept you awake!

Thinking about Shadow hurt, for some reason. Your chest hurt. Was it the ice in it? Probably. Why was it reacting to your thoughts of Shadow? It was so confusing…

Sleep sounded so nice…

* * *

“Princess [y/n]…has died of a frozen heart,” Hans said to the gathered nobles sadly. Everyone else gasped. “The ice was…put there by King Silver.” He choked a little on his next words. “Before she died, she…said she wanted to get married. We had just enough time to…say our vows.”

Tails stood next to him, nodding sadly. Sonic came over to his brother, pulling him into a hug. Amy was tearing up, while Rouge still looked stunned. Knuckles was glaring down at the table in front of him. The cabinet members and several nobles were all leaning against each other for support.

Duke Robotnik was the first to speak up. “This is clearly murder,” he said angrily. “Silver is dangerous, and must be dealt with at once!”

Sonic glared at him. “Is that for you to decide, Eggman?,” he snapped.

“Silver would never hurt [y/n]!,” Amy cried.

Tails suddenly spoke up. “But he did. I heard Princess [y/n] say it was Silver. I saw her…” he trailed off, looking away. Sonic looked down at his brother, who hadn't returned his hug.

A cabinet member said, “If there was a witness…in this scenario, members of royalty count as the officiants. The wedding is valid. The decision about King Silver should be made by…Princess [y/n]’s husband.” He looked up at Hans. “What is your verdict, sir?”

Hans sighed. “I believe…Duke Robotnik is right. I declare King Silver guilty of murder and treason, and order that the punishment will be execution. Effective immediately.” He glanced out the window. “If we wait any longer…the storm will grow worse. We can stop it right now, at its source.”

The cabinet members bowed their heads. Some of the nobles, including Sonic and Amy, glared at him, but others, like Tails and Rouge, gestured for them to stay quiet.

Hans placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. “I can commence the execution myself. Please allow me to do this, at least as a way to avenge my wife. Will you all come to witness my actions, to prove I acted under justice?”

Robotnik eagerly came over to his side, following him out the door. Everyone else followed behind him hesitantly, wanting to see Silver for one last time, but not wanting to see him die. Sonic walked besides Tails, looking at him with a worried expression.

“Are you okay?,” he asked. “You seem…quiet.” Tails merely nodded silently and walked ahead of him.

Amy walked up to Sonic. “He might be acting…off because he saw [y/n]…” She wiped at her eyes. “He's probably grieving.”

Sonic nodded slowly, then said, “Maybe…but something still seems off.”

* * *

Silver was straining against his chains. After time passed with him sitting in the corner, frost covering the wall and chains, he realized that would never fix anything. He had to find you, make sure you were safe. He had to get away, far away. Maybe the storm would follow him. He just needed to get out of this cell.

So he pulled against his cold, brittle chains, using his psychokinesis to push them away from him. After some struggle, he pushed them off of his sore wrists. He turned to the window of iron bars, and tried to remove them with his psychokinesis. He growled when they refused to budge.

His hands shimmered with magic as his frustration grew. He gasped, trying to snuff it out, when an idea popped into his head. He raised an arm above his head, then threw a burst of magic at the wall.

Some pieces of brick chipped off, and the wall was completely covered in ice. The iron bars were frozen solid. Silver gripped them in his aura and snapped them away easily, then floated through the small window.

The strong winds tried to blow him away, so he landed on the ground and slowly went forward as fast as he dared, bracing himself against the wind. He headed to the frozen fjord, back to the mountains.

* * *

Hans opened the door to Silver's cell, then suddenly said something nobody could understand in an angry tone. Tails looked annoyed, angry even, Sonic noted.

Hans turned and stormed past the nobles and cabinet, rushing up the stairs. Everyone looked into the cell. A few sighs of relief were heard when everyone saw that the cell was empty.

“Maybe Hans will cool off, and the king can get a fair trial,” one cabinet member said. “Everyone deserves that, at least.” Others began agreeing, though Duke Robotnik protested.

And Tails had disappeared.

* * *

Shadow was trudging up a hill. For the thousandth time, he glanced back at the stormy Arendelle, pausing. He sighed and tore his gaze away, forcing himself to keep leaving.

“She'll be fine,” he said to himself. “Her prince will help her with an act of true love. I don't need to see that happen.” _I don't want to see that happen._

But his steps were still slow and sluggish. He growled to himself, “I don't need her, and she certainly doesn't need me! I'm not going back!”

He paused. “…[y/n] never said she loved Hans. Just that Hans said he loved her.” He clenched his fists, a frown forming on his face. “If it didn't work…”

He turned around and ran towards the castle. _I don't know what I'm doing, or what I'll do when I get there,_ he thought. _But I have to do anything I can to help her._

Thoughts of you…your caring nature, your snarky remarks, your faith in others…all flew through his head, pushing him to go faster. All the time you had spent together…it pushed him onwards, pushed him to fight against the fierce winds.

The thoughts of you kept him going as he went straight into that blizzard on that frozen fjord. He had to reach you.

He _had_ to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, how many of you guessed Mephiles would show up? Or did I manage to suprise you?
> 
> Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	14. What Love Really Is

You gasped as you jolted back to consciousness, a rattling sound waking you. Your heart pounded as you realized how close you had come to falling asleep…and how close you still were to giving into it. To your right was the empty fireplace, reminding you of how cold you were. To your left was an unconscious Tails, reminding you of Mephiles’ wicked plan.

The rattling sound came again, bringing your attention to the doors in front of you. The door handle was producing the sound as someone from the outside shook it.

“Help…” you said weakly, before coughing violently, dark spots forming in the corners of your eyes.

The handle stopped shaking. You fell to the floor, feeling exhausted and weak. Your eyes peered up, though, as you heard the distinct clank of someone pushing the old, finicky lock to its limit. The door slowly creaked open, and you saw a short white figure let go of the handle and drop to the floor.

“Cream,” you tried to say. Tried being the key word. God, you felt so tired. The words stuck somewhere in your throat. _Maybe the ice is blocking it_ , you thought tiredly. The thought was funny. You wanted to laugh, but you were too weak.

Cream gasped when she saw you, running to your side. “[y/n]!,” she cried. She paused in front of you, before dashing to your right. You slowly lifted yourself onto your elbows and turned around, trying to see what she was doing.

You managed to look just in time to see her light a match and drop it on the wood, starting a roaring fire. She froze, staring at the flames with wide, brown eyes.

“Cream!,” you called. “Get away from there!” You didn't want her to melt!

“Is this…warmth?,” she asked, holding her hands to it. “Is this what summer feels like? It's…wonderful.” She smiled, then quickly tore away and came over to you.

“We need to warm you up,” she said, trying to lift you onto your feet. The fire's warmth had restored some strength to you, and you were able to get on your hands and knees. Cream helped guide you over to the fireplace, where you sat and warmed your hands.

Cream went to the couch and grabbed your blanket. As she wrapped it around you, she said, “What happened, [y/n]? Why didn't Hans' kiss work? Why is he unconscious?” She pointed at Tails.

You sighed. “Hans…He wasn't real, same with the love he declared. He was made as some cruel trick by a demon. And he knocked Tails out after he learned the truth,” you explained.

Cream grabbed Tails from under his arms and dragged him over, laying him next to you. “Will warmth help him?,” she asked. You shrugged, then felt the back of Tails' head, checking for any grievous injuries. You sighed in relief when you didn't feel any blood or large bumps.

Cream suddenly asked you, “What's a demon, [y/n]?”

You gulped. “A demon is…an evil, powerful being. They have extreme strength, powerful magic, and are immortal. But most of them, the ones with the most power, are locked inside the earth, sealed by the combined power of the thrones of kingdoms. Mephiles…he was just using me so he could get to the throne and unleash his power.”

_At least Silver is in the mountains_ , you thought. _That demon can't hurt him from here._

You sighed, wrapping the blanket tightly around yourself. “And I fell for his tricks. I believed him when he said he loved me, and was letting myself start to get carried away.”

Cream sat next to you. “What did he do to trick you?,” she asked quietly.

You groaned. “Oh, he acted the part of a Prince Charming. Said some sweet little words, complimenting me, telling me how it was crazy, but he was starting to love me…” You weakly pounded a fist on the ground. “And I fell for it. Like a fool.”

Cream placed a hand on your shoulder. “It's okay,” she said. “I talked to the trolls when you and Shadow were with them, and they said lots of people think that's what love is like. Then they told me what it really is.”

You turned your head to look at her. “What love…really is?”

She beamed up at you and nodded. “It's about what people do, not what they say,” she explained to you. “It's about putting the needs of someone else before yours. It's about helping other people find their happiness, even when it hurts them.” She glanced out the window. “Like how Shadow brought you here to Hans and left.”

You looked at the window, too. “You think Shadow…loves me?,” you asked.

Cream turned to you, a confused expression on her face. “Of course he does! Didn't you notice?”

You looked into the fire, deep in thought. Could it be possible that Shadow…? He had carried you to a mountain, and then back down. He had tried to give you those berries, his berries, when you were hungry. He saw you at your weakest and pulled you back up onto your feet.

But he would act cold towards you at times…and yet the trolls said he was always like that, so no one would see his true feelings. Every time he looked away from you, growled at you to keep going forward…was he doing it to hide that he…cared about you?

You blushed, your heart beating quickly from thinking about Shadow. It made you happy, but at the same time…it hurt. It was confusing, and the only clear thing was that you wanted to see him, to be with him.

“I guess I didn't notice,” you told Cream. “But looking back now, it all seems so…clear. So obvious we had some kind of connection. Is this what they meant when they talked about the spark?”

Cream smiled and nodded. You noticed her face began to droop on one side, and you said, “Cream, you have to get away! You'll…you'll melt!”

She smiled sadly at you. “Some people are worth melting for, [y/n]. I don't want to leave you until you're safe.”

As she began to drip onto the floor, you blinked back tears forming in the corner of your eyes. You gently picked Cream up from under her arms and pulled her away from the fire, shoving her towards the couch.

She got back up onto her feet and took a step towards you. You held up a hand to stop her. “Please, Cream. I…I don't want to lose you,” you said sadly. “And Shadow…he's probably too far away to help me. If I can't be saved…you have to work with Tails and stop Mephiles from taking the throne. Do you understand? You can't melt. I need your help, even if I…I don't make it.”

Cream stared at you for a second, her eyes wide and sad, before she slowly nodded. You sighed in relief, placing a hand on Tails' head as you did so. You gasped as he suddenly groaned, then sat up, rubbing his head. “Wha—,” he muttered, glancing around. He froze with wide eyes when he saw Cream.

“Are you alright, Mister Tails?,” she asked in a worried tone.

Tails could only stare. He turned to look at you. “[y/n]. I think I'm hallucinating,” he said, trying to keep his voice level and calm, while his eyes showed panic. You stared into them for a second, looking for signs of a concussion, feeling relief when you saw none.

“Cream isn't a hallucination,” you told him. “Silver made her. It's unbelievable, but…it's true. And you're not showing any signs of brain injury."

Tails looked back at the snow Mobian. “So, your name is…Cream?,” he said cautiously. Cream nodded, smiling. Tails smiled back and waved, before suddenly frowning and jumping onto his feet.

“What am I doing? I have to stop—” He suddenly fell back onto the floor. You reached out and lifted him back up into a sitting position.

“Tails, you've been weakened by Mephiles,” you said calmly. “You need to get your strength back first. Don't worry, he won't be able to take the throne any time soon. He'll need to get past Silver first, and he'll have to go to the mountains to get him.”

Tails grabbed onto your shoulders. “[y/n], Hans—Mephiles captured Silver and brought him back just before you came home. He's locked in the dungeons, that demon could execute him any minute now!”

Your blood froze. “W-what?” Silver was here? But if he was here…! “I have to—” You stood up abruptly, shaking as you got up onto your feet. Spots formed in your vision, which you quickly blinked away.

Tails stood with you, also shaking on his feet. “[y/n], if you leave the fireplace, you'll…you'll die,” he said sadly. “Please, stay here. I can get Sonic, I can stop Mephiles from taking the throne!”

You shook your head. “This fire is only delaying the inevitable,” you said. “There’s no hope for me. But I have to save my brother. No matter what.”

The windows suddenly burst open, a strong gust of wind coming into the room. You shuddered violently, struggling to stay on your feet as the wind tore past you. Cream ran to the window, trying to push it closed.

“Don't give up hope, [y/n]!,” she called back as she fought the wind. “We can help you through this—” She froze suddenly, then held a hand to shield her eyes, peering out the half-open window.

With a gasp, she said, “It's Shadow! He's running across the fjord!” She looked back at you, smiling, “He's coming back for you!”

“Shadow…” You said. Hope blossomed in your chest.

Tails stood up tall. “Can this ‘Shadow' help you, [y/n]?,” he asked. You nodded enthusiastically. “Okay. You go out to him, and I'll find the cabinet and explain who Prince Hans actually is.”

Cream grabbed both of your hands, supporting the two of you as you hurried out into the hallway. You all gasped when you saw ice creeping across the walls and the ceiling. Columns of ice slowly started to form, threatening to block your path.

You gave Tails and Cream a push towards one end of the hallway. “Get to the dungeon!,” you told them. “If Silver's going to be executed, that's where Mephiles and the cabinet will be…or where they'll go to. Down that hall to the left, take the second right, go down the stone staircase!”

“What about you?,” shouted Tails as Cream began to guide him away.

You placed a hand on the wall and leaned against it, and started to walk towards the other end of the hallway. “I'll be fine!,” you shouted over your shoulder. “Don't worry about me! Worry about saving Arendelle!”

You watched as Cream helped Tails around the corner, and continued to shuffle forward. You felt so much weaker, away from the fire, as ice began to slowly surround you. You flinched and shivered as a window near you burst open, letting in a freezing wind.

You hurried forward to shut it, but paused when you looked outside. The snow on the roof underneath the sill made a slope, and the fjord was straight ahead from the window. You shivered as the cold wind struck you again.

The castle was already freezing anyway…and you weren't sure if you were strong enough to be able to handle stairs…

Your mind was made up. You stepped onto the windowsill, then let yourself fall forward onto the snow-covered roof. With a push, you were rolling headlong down the slope. Despite the situation and how dizzy it made you, your mind drifted to when you would do things like this with Silver when you were kids.

Eventually, you rolled to a stop. Still dizzy, you managed to get back up onto your feet. Straight ahead of you was the fjord. You just had to make it through the town first.

You slowly walked forward, thankful for the buildings that kept most of the strong winds off of you.

* * *

Tails and Cream rushed down the stairs, panting. Tails suddenly tripped on a loose stone, and the both of them went tumbling painfully down the steps. They landed in a heap at the bottom, groaning. “At least we made it quickly!,” Cream said cheerfully as she got back onto her feet.

Tails slowly got back up onto his feet, Cream offering him a hand. They both looked up when they heard footsteps, and saw a concerned Sonic in front of them. “Tails!,” he cried. “Where did you disappear to? I mean, first Silver, then Prince Hans, then you…are you really okay?”

Tails rushed forward and grabbed onto his brother's shoulders. “Nothing is okay! Sonic, Hans is actually Mephiles the Dark! I saw him! He…He showed himself to [y/n], but he knocked me out before I could get away to tell you!”

Sonic paled. “So you weren't standing next to Prince Hans when he said [y/n] had…”

Tails shook his head. “[y/n] is still alive! Mephiles had left her for dead, but she's still alive!,” he said.

Cream grabbed Sonic's keg to get his attention. “It's true, Mister Sonic,” she said. “[y/n]’s going out onto the fjord to meet Shadow and be saved.”

Sonic stared down at the snow Mobian, then shook his head. “We have to tell everyone,” he said. “We have to go stop Mephiles! He's gone out after Silver…he's going to kill him!” He grabbed onto Tails' wrist and dragged him to the rest of the nobles and the cabinet.

Once Tails told them everything he had seen, they were all shocked and horrified. Knuckles pounded his fists together. “Let's go stop that demon,” he growled.

The group quickly rushed up the stairs, with Tails, Cream, Sonic, and Knuckles at the head of the group.

* * *

Shadow growled as a strong wind almost pushed him over. The wind was strong enough to push him off course, and the snow was thick enough to keep him from telling what direction he was facing. But he still kept pushing forward.

As the wind pushed him back several feet, he raised his hands to shield his eyes. The rings on his wrists caught his eye. He hesitated for a second, but when another strong wind almost pushed him over again, his decision was made.

He grabbed the rings and pulled them off of his wrists, letting the winds carry them away. Without his rings to limit his powers, he surged forward, cutting through the fierce winds that had earlier been of some threat to him.

His ears twitched when he heard a loud crack, hidden under the sounds of the howling winds. He swiftly dodged to the right, just as a crack formed in the ice where he had been standing. He growled as he swerved left and right, dodging the cracks forming in the ice. He even managed to jump in time to land on the edge of a piece the suddenly rose in front of him.

He crouched down, sliding down the large piece, jumping off before he landed in the freezing waters. He kept running forward, dodging cracks that decreased in number as he went forward, until he came to a point where the ice didn't crack at all.

His ears twitched again when they heard a different sound. “Shadow!,” called your voice. He swiftly turned and began to run in the direction it came from.

“[y/n]!,” he called back, trying to let you know where he was. His heart was pounding. Why were you on the fjord? Had you seen him coming? Why had you come out here in this blizzard?

As he called you name again, he swore to himself that once you were saved, he would throttle you for doing something so dangerous.

* * *

Silver pressed onward, buffeted by strong winds on all sides. His speed was useless when the wind pushed him back, and when the snow was too thick to see where he was going.

As he panicked from not being able to move or see, the storm grew worse, making it harder for him to move or see, making him panic more…he shook his head, trying to snap out of the cycle. He could see the silhouette of the castle when he glanced over his shoulder. He just needed to go in the opposite direction.

He began to press forward, pushing against the winds. If he focused just enough, he could move the snowflakes out of his path, making it easier for him to see.

“King Silver!,” called a voice from behind him. “Stop right where you are!” Silver turned around and saw Prince Hans, a hand shielding his eyes, pushing against the winds.

“I'm going to find my sister!,” he shouted back at him, turning around to keep marching forward.

“Princess [y/n] is dead!,” shouted Hans. Silver froze, then slowly turned to face him. Hans continued, “She came back to the castle, back to me, with ice in her heart. It was…too late for me to do anything to save her. She is dead…because of you!”

Silver was frozen. You were…dead? No, no, it couldn't be…and yet, why would Hans lie to him? And he had sent off that burst of magic back in the ice palace in his panic, while you were in the room…why hadn't he realized what he'd done? Now you were dead, and it was his fault.

With a choked sob, Silver collapsed onto the ice. The winds around him stopped, and every snowflake hung suspended in the air.

His ear twitched when he heard Hans step towards him. He didn't react at all, knowing he deserved whatever would happen to him. He closed his eyes as tears began to form in them, waiting for the punishment that he deserved.

* * *

You almost fell over when the winds you had been pushing against suddenly stopped. The snowflakes around you were hanging in the air, completely unmoving. You breathed a sigh of relief, as the winds had been pushing and pulling you from the second you stepped onto the fjord.

You looked ahead and saw Shadow, covered head to foot in snow. You took a few shaky steps towards him as he made eye contact with you. He ran towards you at super speed, and you held your arms out to him, bracing yourself.

But a sound to your left made you turn your head. Only a few feet away stood Mephiles, disguised as Prince Hans, a crackling ball of energy forming in his hand. In front of him was Silver, collapsed on the ice, not moving. _What is he doing?_ , you thought. _Surely he hears that crackling noise, or feels the heat coming from that ball of energy!_

You glanced back at Shadow, who was now sliding on the ice towards you. You glanced again at Silver, who was still unresponsive. You had to save him, but you were so slow and the ice was too slick for you to run to him, there was too little time to tell Shadow, and you were too weak to fend off a demon. How could you…?

Shadow slowed to a stop right in front of you, and looked up at you with worry clear in his eyes. As he reached up to feel your temperature, his momentum on the ice gave you an idea.

You hugged him tightly, then whispered to him, “Sorry.” Your heart told you to give him more then that before you…left, so you gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He looked up, opening his mouth to ask you what you meant, when you shoved him away with all your strength.

Pushing off of him, you slid across the ice, towards Silver and Mephiles. You felt weak as you came to a stop in front of Silver, your chest painfully cold. You heard that ball of energy reaching its peak and knew that either way, this was the end for you. You were willing to accept that, if it meant keeping Silver safe and buying time for everyone to stop Mephiles.

You struggled to stay on your feet, turning to face the surprised demon. “I told you…I wouldn't let you get away with this,” you said as you felt your body slowly turn to ice. 

The last thing you saw before your eyes were frozen was a beam of energy surge from Mephiles' hand. As your last breath left your lips, you could almost feel it striking you in the torso.

It was painful and hot, traveling across your frozen body. Then, there was only darkness.

* * *

Silver looked up when he heard your voice. He saw you standing over him, your pose strong and defiant. He watched in horror as ice spread from your chest to the rest of your body. When you were frozen, he seemed to be unfrozen, as he stood up in a daze to reach out to you.

Then something struck you, and he saw your body, now an icy statue, shatter into pieces. It sent out a shockwave that knocked him and Prince Hans down.

Undeterred, he crawled over to the pieces of you that had fallen onto the frozen fjord. “[y/n]…[y/n]…,” he moaned, taking several of the pieces into his hands, tears pouring from his eyes. He began to sob, staring down at what was left of you.

Shadow got back up onto his feet, looking annoyed. His anger melted when he came over to where Silver and Hans were, and saw that you weren't there. Seeing Silver cry over pieces of ice, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened.

But it was impossible, you couldn't have…not wanting to believe it, he sat down next to Silver, and silently tried to put some of the pieces back together. He came here to help you. He had to find some way to help you now. He couldn't give up. He couldn't.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles slowly came to a halt as they neared the group. They had arrived on the fjord just as the snowflakes stopped moving, and had witnessed the whole thing. Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic and began sobbing into his side, and Sonic held onto him protectively, blinking away his own tears. Knuckles, filled with rage, ran over and began punching Hans, who hadn't gotten up since he was hit by the shockwave. Even as he was hit, he remained unresponsive.

The rest of the group stayed behind, watching from a distance as they mourned. Cream was the only one of came forward, and she stood between Silver and Shadow, looking down at the pieces of ice that were your remains.

“[y/n]…” she said quietly, “Please don't leave us. We all love you.”

Silver sobbed. “Cream, I think it's…too late for her to hear you. Too late for me to show that I really did love her, that I never wanted to hurt her.”

Shadow sighed as he failed to fit two pieces together. “Too late for me to admit the way I feel about her…” A single tear escaped from his eye, landing on the pieces below. “To admit that I love her.”


	15. Thawed Heart

The pieces of ice in Shadow’s hands began to twitch, then jump. Even the pieces on the ground were moving. “What's happening?,” asked Cream as the pieces began to float into the air, bouncing off of and clicking against each other.

Shadow watched silently, his eyes widening, before he slowly let go of the pieces he held, letting them fly in with the rest of them. The pieces moved faster and faster, fitting together more frequently. Everyone watched in awe as they quickly came together to form an ice statue of you, just as you were the moment you had frozen.

Silver blinked quickly, a new wave of tears threatening to come. With a whimper, he wrapped his arms around your cold torso, scrunching his eyes closed. His eyes opened again in confusion when you suddenly felt…warm.

* * *

You found yourself waiting in darkness, feeling very cold. There was nothing but that cold feeling, and your mind seemed unable to…focus on anything. Thoughts would form halfway, and then slip away from you. You half-thought it would be frightening, if you didn't feel so…numb.

Then, there was a warmth in your chest. It slowly spread through your body, down to your toes, and through your fingertips. Slowly, the warmth crawled up to your head. You took a breath of air into your lungs as it reached your mouth and nose, and blinked away the bright light when it reached your eyes. And when you were full of that warmth, you could think and feel again. It was jarring enough to make you stumble a bit on your feet.

You looked around you, taking in the sight. A group of Mobians—the cabinet and several nobles—stood at a distance, looking at you in amazement. Knuckles was a little bit in front of you, using the fallen Prince Hans as a punching bag, before Rouge tapped him on the shoulder and pointed you out. Shadow and Cream stood next to you, Cream smiling brightly at you, while Shadow looked completely stunned.

You felt something tighten around your torso, and looked down, seeing Silver tightly hugging you. “Don't you ever do that again,” he said, sounding choked up. “What were you thinking, sacrificing yourself like that?”

You smiled and knelt down, wrapping your arms around him. “I was thinking of how I needed to save my brother, and how much I care about him,” you said with a small chuckle. “I love you.”

He tightened his hug again. “I love you too, [y/n]. I know I haven't shown it that well, but…all I ever wanted was for you to be kept safe. To keep my little sister safe.”

Cream gasped and smiled. “An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!,” she declared. “That's how [y/n] came back! She performed that act of love for Silver!”

Shadow frowned and said, “But wouldn't that only unfreeze her? She was…shattered, too. How did you pull yourself back together?”

You shrugged and replied, “No idea. But I'm not going to complain! No matter the reason, I'm alive, and I think that's the important thing.”

Shadow smiled up at you. “Yeah…it is.” He looked away suddenly. “Did you…could you hear anything we said when you were…?” You shook your head.

You felt Silver loosen his grip on you and step back. “Did you say…love thaws a frozen heart?,” he asked Cream. When she nodded, he looked down at his hands. “Do you think that maybe…love can thaw other things?”

You reached down and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It's worth a try,” you said reassuringly. “I believe in you, Silver.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay. First, we all need to get off this fjord,” he said. The group of Mobians watching all hurried to the docks. Rouge had grabbed Knuckles, who still looked stunned, and dragged him away from Mephiles, who was still laying down.

Silver ran right behind the group, carrying Cream in his arms. You took a step forward, trying to jog after them…and slipped on the ice. Luckily, Shadow caught you and ran forward with you in his arms. You yelped and grabbed onto him as he easily surged passed all the other Mobians, and you two were the first to arrive on the docks.

“Wow,” you said in a stunned voice. “That was…the fastest I think I've seen you run.”

Shadow set you down on your feet, and then rubbed at his bare wrist. He grumbled, “I took my power inhibitor rings off earlier. I'm…not the greatest at restraining my full abilities.”

You smiled as the other Mobians joined you on the docks. “I think it's impressive, just naturally having an ability that strong,” you said to him.

He glanced at you. “I think it's impressive how much you were willing to give up to save your brother…and how you came up with a plan to do it in only a few seconds.”

You blushed and looked away as Silver came to the docks. Everyone was watching him, waiting to see what he'd do. You noticed how nervous he looked as he placed Cream back on the ground, and walked through the crowd to stand beside him. You placed a hand on his shoulder and told him, “You can do this. I know you can.”

Silver closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes snapped open as he raised his arms in the air. His face set in a determined expression, he gestured with his hands. Everyone, including you, watched in awe as snow lifted from the ground into the air, ice melted into tiny pieces that drifted upwards, and the storm clouds above condensed into a single point.

Soon, a large snowflake made of ice swirled in the clear sky. With one large gesture from Silver, it broke apart as a wave of magic that soon disappeared over the horizon. Silver lowered his arms and quickly looked around, seeing the clear waters of the fjord and the clear stone streets of Arendelle. He breathed a sigh of relief as you whispered to him, “I knew you could do it, Silver.”

The group all began to cheer and clap, making Silver look down in embarrassment. You looked down to make sure he was alright, and gasped when you saw Cream, who was swiftly melting away.

“So this is summer,” she said calmly, despite her predicament. “I just wish I had some time to actually enjoy it.”

Silver gasped. “Hold on, Cream!” With a flick of his wrist, his ice magic began to swirl around Cream, reforming her shape, before it slowly settled on top of her, making her shimmer a light blue. You and Silver both sighed in relief when Cream did not begin to melt again.

“Thank you, Silver!,” Cream cried in joy. “This is the best day ever!” Everyone smiled at her youthful enthusiasm.

Silver turned to you, a slight frown on his face. “There's one thing I don't understand, [y/n]. Prince Hans told me you were dead, but…you clearly weren't. Why would he lie to me?”

You sighed and answered, “Prince Hans was actually a demon in disguise. Mephiles the Dark. He told that lie to everyone, along with the lie that we were married, so he would be able to execute you and take the throne.” You rubbed at your arms as you continued, “And I fell for all of his tricks. Like a fool.”

Tails quickly spoke up, “That's not true, [y/n]! I heard him say in the study that he used hypnosis on you. You’re not a fool.”

Shadow glanced around and growled, “Where is that demon, anyway?”

The group glanced over at Knuckles, who coughed and looked away. “I, uh…left him on the ice. He's probably deep in the fjord by now,” he chuckled awkwardly.

Several members of the crowd groaned, including Sonic and Tails. Tails grumbled, “Are you kidding me? Now he's lost, and probably swimming towards one of our kingdoms! Are we going to have to keep our guards up even around the people we care about?”

Knuckles opened his mouth, perhaps to protest, but a splash from the fjord made everyone stop and turn. You turned to look, just in time to see a black and grey blur rush towards you. A second later, something grabbed your throat and slammed you again the wall of a building.

Mephiles glared at you, his grip tightening on your throat as you heard cries of fear from the crowd behind him. “You,” he snarled, “You ruined everything! You were supposed to be hypnotized easily! You were supposed to die quietly!”

His grip tightened further, and you gasped for air, spots appearing in your vision. “If I can't fulfill my goals…I'll destroy the one who ruined my plans,” he said in a tone that was scarily pleased.

He slowly tightened his grip, and the spots in your vision grew. Your lungs were burning for air, and you could feel the bones in your neck start to bend under the pressure of his grip. As your vision began to fade to black, you saw Mephiles' eyes light up in a sick delight.

Suddenly, something struck the demon from behind. He lost his grip on your throat, and you greedily gulped in air, ignoring the soreness it caused in your throat. You fell roughly to the ground, and you took your opportunity to scramble away from Mephiles, back to the group.

Tails rushed forward and helped you onto your feet. “[y/n], are you alright?,” he asked in a panic.

You nodded, but said with a cough, “Let’s worry about me after we defeat this demon.” Now on your feet, you had a good chance to see what was happening. Shadow was the closest to Mephiles—he must have been the one who hit him—and he struck the demon again and again, using his speed to his advantage. The rest of the group was hot on his heels, several Mobians already throwing ranged weapons at the demon.

Tails guided you away from the fight and back to the docks, before hurrying to fight by Sonic’s side. You were surprised to see Silver still standing there. “Sliver? Are you okay?,” you asked, a little worried.

As the group began to surround Mephiles and pummel him, Silver sighed. He said, “I…I'm worried that if I try to help…I'll end up hurting someone again. Like I hurt you.” He glanced away forlornly. “Even if I can fix what I've done…it doesn't change how dangerous my powers are. And if I hurt someone…that's not a thing that I can fix.”

You sat down next to him, watching the fight from the corner of your eye. “Your magic is powerful,” you said to Silver, “And I don't want you to try and lock it away again. It's a part of you, a part of you that shouldn't be lost.” You smiled at him. “What better way to prove to yourself that your magic is good than to use it to protect Arendelle?”

Silver was quiet for a second. “You knew about my magic when we were little,” he said quietly. “But when we were playing…I accidentally hit you in the head with my magic. The trolls removed all magic, even memories of it. That's where the white stripe on your hair came from.”

You lifted a hand up to your hair. “…Really?”

He nodded. “I used it to remind myself of how dangerous I was. Every time I saw you, with the white stripe in your hair, I let that fact go through my mind. The memory of when I hurt you.” He sighed. “It's just…going to be hard, getting out of that mentality.”

Cream spoke up, saying, “But Silver…that white stripe is gone now. Can't that be a sign that you can move on?”

Curious, you pulled the strand you knew had been white in front of your eyes. Cream was right—it was the same color as the rest of your hair. You and Silver couldn't help but stare at it. “Silver…I don't think you're dangerous,” you said quietly. “And I don't want you to think you're dangerous, either. Not with your amazing gift.”

Silver glanced down at his hands, then back at you…and smiled. You smiled back. Shouts of surprise made you turn your head back to the fight. _Not the best time for bonding!_ , you quickly thought.

You had turned just in time to see the group get knocked down by a shockwave sent by Mephiles, who was floating menacingly. The only one who had managed to stay on their feet was Shadow. You started to stand up, wanting to help him. Silver followed you as you approached the group.

You heard Silver take a deep breath, and then saw him launch a burst of magic at Mephiles. It struck the demon in the shoulder, causing frost to spread on his arm as he hissed in pain and anger. “Thinking you can actually fight me?,” he asked Silver as he shifted into his cloud form and back to his hedgehog one, getting rid of the ice. “You'll need to do better than that.”

His eerie eyes shifted to you. “And you…foolishly thinking you can do anything to stop me. You surprised me once…I'll destroy you before I let that happen again.” You flinched and had to fight to not take a step back.

Shadow growled and lunged at the demon. Mephiles caught him and held him by the throat, glaring at him. “No!,” you shouted, rushing forward, ready to lunge at the demon yourself. With a wave of his hand, you were knocked back onto the ground.

“I see you both care about each other,” Mephiles said as he dodged Shadow’s punches. “And I sense already that King Silver plans to imprison me in a block of ice.” He glared at you. “If I cannot destroy you…I'll make you suffer.”

Shadow finally managed to punch Mephiles in the jaw. The demon let go of his throat, but as he fell to the ground, a cloud of black smoke—Mephiles—surrounded him. People tried to rush forward as the cloud swirled on the ground, but they were pushed back by a powerful force.

A flash of light came from the cloud, blinding everyone, including you. As you slowly opened your eyes and blinked away the spots in your vision, you frantically began to search for Shadow. Your jaw dropped when you saw that there were two Shadows lying on the ground.

Both of them looked up, then reared back in surprise when they saw the other. “How dare you—” they both began to hiss, before suddenly stopping, shock clear in their ruby-red eyes.

Silver glanced at you. “He was right about my idea to trap him…but how do we find out which is Mephiles?”

You glanced back at forth between the Shadows, who were both glaring at each other as the Mobians encircled them. “We…should ask them something only Shadow would know! Shadow, what do you do for a living?”

“Ice harvesting,” they both answered, before looking at the other in shock.

Knuckles growled and said, “Demons are known to read minds. When Shade or whoever was in that cloud, that demon read his memories at the same time he copied his form. Unless you know something incredibly obscure about him, there's nothing we can do to tell them apart.”

You gulped. “But that means…”

“To keep Mephiles from escaping…I have to freeze both of them,” Silver said sadly, magic starting to form in his hands.

“But…there has to be some way…can't we think of something?,” you asked desperately.

Knuckles shook his head sadly. “If we stall for time, the demon could take the chance and escape. We have to do this now.”

Tears trickling down your face, you looked back at the two Shadows, who were each trying to hit the other, dodging each other's attacks perfectly. “Shadow, please,” you said sadly. “I…I can't think of anything to save you. I don't want to lose you!”

Both of them stopped fighting, glancing at you, then looking away to stare at the magic Silver was forming in his hands.

“It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, [y/n],” the Shadow on your left said.

“It's for the best, Princess [y/n],” said the one on your right.

“No…” you said sadly. _Was he just going to let this happen?_ Then, what they had said seemed to click in your head.

You turned to Silver, and pointed at the Shadow on your right. “That's the one! That's Mephiles!” Silver glanced at you, confused, but quickly focused his magic into a ready attack.

“No! Impossible!,” cried the Shadow you had pointed towards, as he took a step forward, ready to lunge. In the next second, Silver launched his magic at him, encasing him in a block of ice. Several members of the ground, including you, approached the block with caution to get a closer look at the hedgehog trapped inside.

Several members sighed in relief when they saw the one trapped inside looked somewhere halfway between Shadow and Mephiles' Mobian form. His sclera were partially green, his irises still red, though the pupils were somewhat faded. The stripes on his quills were half red and half grey. “He must have been switching back in order to attack once he had been caught,” you said aloud.

Shadow approached you, peering into the ice at the imposter. “How did you figure it out?,” he asked. “You better not have been making a gamble on my life.”

You shook your head. “Of course not! You called me by my name, while he called me ‘Princess [y/n]’. Even if you only called me ‘Princess' when we first met, and started calling me by my name since then, you've never said both at once. And I remembered that ‘Hans’ would always use my title and name when speaking with me.”

Shadow sighed. “A fairly flimsy thing to base your decision on.”

You growled, “Not like I had anything better to go with! What kind of last words were those? I ask you for help, and you just reassure me it's not my fault?”

He growled back, “Don't be mad for accepting my fate to protect you! You…you died to save Silver! Can't you ever just stay safe and…and not give up everything just to protect someone? Leaving…someone else behind?”

He looked away sadly when he finished saying that. You gulped and said to him, “Look…I-I promise I won't leave you...if you won't leave me. Okay?” He glanced back at you, and held out a hand for you to shake. You took it, but instead pulled him into a hug. He hesitated, but slowly returned the gesture.

“Awww,” someone cooed from behind you. Both you and Shadow separated and turned to look. Princess Amy was standing there, watching the two of you with a big smile on her face. “You two are so cute,” she cooed. You coughed and blushed, looking away. You thought you heard Shadow cough in a similar way.

Rouge chuckled and started to guide Amy away. “Let's leave them alone for now. Why don't you search for Sonic?,” she suggested.

The two of them disappeared in the crowd of civilians that had gathered to see what was going on. You quickly looked to see where Silver was, and rushed over to him, guiding Shadow with you.

Silver smiled when he saw you, but flinched when he saw Shadow. “Sorry for…almost freezing you,” he said quietly. Shadow scoffed and shrugged.

“It doesn't matter, does it?,” he said. “[y/n] figured it out, and you froze the demon. That's what matters.”

“I…see,” said Silver. “[y/n], I…thank you for encouraging me to use my power. That's how I had the idea to trap Mephiles like that. And thank you for figuring out which of them was Mephiles. If I had used my magic on an innocent…”

You placed a hand on his shoulder. “I always believed in you, Silver.” You turned to look at the gathered crowd, who was looking at the frozen demon and Silver with curiosity and happiness. “Let's go to the castle. I think everyone deserves an explanation as to what's happened.”


	16. Ever After

“You're sure about this, Knuckles?,” you asked as Silver levitated the ice block that Mephiles was trapped in onto the echidna’s ship. The echidna in question chuckled.

“Don't worry, [y/n]. We won't let that ice melt. Plus, my kingdom is going to have the best knowledge on how to truly lock him away,” he assured you. “Besides, you aren't going to want him anywhere in your kingdom. He's got a grudge against you.”

You shivered. “Yes…I suppose I ruined two of his plans…he's certainly furious with me.” Your hand reached up to your throat, where large, black and purple bruises lay. They had started to fade and feel less sore as time passed, but thinking about Mephiles caused them to ache from the memory of him choking you.

“Which is why I'm taking him with me. So that he's not in your kingdom,” Knuckles said. “My kingdom might not be that far…but none of our kingdoms really are. Except for Eggman's.”

“MY NAME IS DUKE ROBOTNIK!,” someone shouted from the docks. You looked down to see, unsurprisingly, Duke Robotnik, who was glaring up at Knuckles. “Are you sure that you don't want me to take the demon to my small kingdom, Princess [y/n]? He'll be far away from you that way, far less likely to be able to hurt you…”

You put a finger to your chin, pretending to think. “Let's see….before you got here, you had attempted several schemes to control other kingdoms. And since you've come here, you've accused my brother of being a demon, encouraged his execution without a trial, ultimately failed to clear the ice from the fjord, only causing one part of it to crack, which was dangerous to one person on it…” You glared right back down at him. “The way I see it, you’re lucky we still have a trade agreement in place… _Eggman_.”

He stared blankly at you for a second. Then his face slowly turned bright red, and he gave a loud scream of anger before storming off towards his own ship. You could almost hear him growling something about “that stupid nickname" as he stomped away. You and Knuckles started laughing as Silver came back from inside the ship.

You smiled when you saw him. He had become a bit more carefree and relaxed once he was home. He didn't tie his quills back, and he had stopped wearing his power inhibitor rings, though he kept his white gloves. He ,lent several of his unneeded rings to Shadow, at least until he could get his own. Shadow had grumbled a little about how they worked too well, but was still grateful.

“[y/n], has Sonic begun rubbing off on you?,” he asked teasingly, shaking his head.

You chuckled. “Maybe a little. I've just…had a lot of fun, catching up with everyone. Admit it, you've had some fun this past week, too.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I wasn't expecting that everyone would want to stay and celebrate my return, and our victory over Mephiles…but yes, I have enjoyed spending time with out friends.” He looked away shyly. “And I…I hope they’ll come back more often, now that we're leaving our gates open.”

Knuckles smiled. “Of course we'll keep visiting. After years of being apart, you think that we're not going to try and see you?” He escorted the two of you off the ship. “Now, we need to head back home. See you later!”

You remembered something, and quickly handed Knuckles a gold circlet—his gold circlet. “I saw that Rouge had taken it again, so I took it before she left to give back to you,” you explained.

Knuckles snatched it, fuming. “Where is she now?!”

Silver answered, “The ship of the Rose Kingdom just left a few minutes ago. We just said out goodbyes to Princess Amy and Duchess Rouge.”

Knuckles growled and ran back onto his ship. He began barking orders to the crew, ranting about how they needed to catch up so he could ‘teach that thief a lesson'. The ship was soon ready, and was sailing out of the fjord.

Silver laughed and said to you, “Is that the only way those two can express that they like each other?”

You snickered, “Well, maybe they're trying to hide it from everyone. Not that it's working.” The two of you laughed. Once you had both calmed down, you asked Silver, “Is there anyone else we haven't said our goodbyes to?”

He thought about it. “Sonic and Tails left early this morning, to get ahead of the Rose Kingdom's ship. And we just said goodbye to Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles…I think we've gone to everyone we wanted to see personally.”

You smiled. “So the demon is locked away, we're on good terms with all the nobles, and everyone understands what happened. Everyone's accepted you, there's nothing to worry about. How does it feel?”

Silver looked out at all the ships sailing back home. “It feels…different. Not worrying about what I could do, not fearing being found out. It's different, but…it’s a good different. For sure.”

You placed a hand on his shoulder. “If you ever start to feel fear or doubt again…just remember that feeling, and the fact that you are loved,” you said quietly.

Silver laughed and said, “Since when did you become so wise? And confident?”

You shrugged. “I don't know if I'm that wise…but I think the confidence I have came from Shadow. Not just that he's confident in himself, but the way he keeps pushing me to my goal, and…the feeling that he has faith in me.”

Silver glanced at you. “Is that why you bought…”

“No, that was because I promised him that. But the rest of the gift…that's a way of saying thank you.” You rubbed at the back of your head. “I just hope he likes it.”

Silver smiled. “I'm sure he will. You two certainly seem happy together.” He then cautiously asked, “Has he told you…what he said after you…?”

You shook your head. “No, but I have…a pretty good idea of what it was. Actions speak louder than words, and he…well, his actions certainly said a lot. I just…don't want him to feel like he has to say it until he's ready, you know?”

Silver sighed, “But you want to hear it, don't you? You deserve happiness as much as him.”

“Yeah, I…I do want to hear it from him. But we have plenty of time to reach that level.” You grinned down at him. “Even if he isn't living in the castle with us.”

Silver groaned and laughed, playfully pushing you away. “Okay, okay. I'm going to get the courtyard set up. Come by with Shadow after you show him the present, alright?,” he said. With a smile and nod from you, he sped off the docks.

You left the docks after him, going slowly through the streets as you searched for your edgy hedgehog. You smiled and waved at the people you passed by, though you kept moving forward. The only time you briefly paused was to watch as Cream played with some children, learning how to make flower crowns.

Eventually, you found Shadow, who was gazing at the mountains as he munched on what you presumed to be coffee beans. You called out to him, and he turned to look at you.

“You look happy,” he said. “I thought you wouldn't be, what with all your friends from other kingdoms leaving. What's up?”

You beamed and grabbed his hand. “I got something for you, Shadow! C'mon, it's at the castle! And close your eyes, I want it to be a surprise.” You hurried down the streets, pulling him along behind you.

He rolled his eyes, but still closed them. “I think I already know what it is, [y/n],” he said, laughing softly under his breath.

“Yes, but you don't _know_ you know,” you said back as you turned another corner. Shadow sighed, but still laughed under his breath.

Soon, you came to the small section of courtyard you had held his present in. “Okay, we're here. You can look,” you told him excitedly. As he opened his eyes, you looked over what you had gotten for him yet again.

It was a sled that the seller had stated to be of high quality. It was large, some could carry more ice. But the polished wood that it was made of was extremely light, so that any horse (or hedgehog) could pull it with ease. The leather straps at the front were soft and comfortable, yet strong and durable. And at your request, it was painted black with red accents.

You looked over at Shadow, who was staring blankly at the sled. “I, uh, I did promise you a new sled,” you said quietly. “I just hope that the one I got is...is good.”

You coughed. “I also promised to replace everything else, but…I don’t exactly remember what all I threw at those demons. So!” You lifted up a sack you had earlier placed on the seat of the sled and brought it over to Shadow. You opened it to reveal a large amount of gold rings. “I figured that I'd let you choose your replacement items. I just took a guess at how much money you might need.”

Shadow took the bag from you, but still said nothing. You reached into your pocket and pulled out the last item: A gold medal, with the symbol of a snowflake on one side, and the Arendelle Royal Crest on the other. “And I figured…if Silver can create ice, we might need someone to export it. So I talked to him, and he appointed you as the Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer. If…you want that job.”

You handed the medal over to him. “I…hope you like it,” you said sheepishly.

Those words seemed to break Shadow out of his trance. “Like it?,” he said dazedly. “How could I not! It's…it's amazing. You're amazing.!” He beamed up at you. “I love you.”

It seemed to take him a second to realized what he'd said. He blushed a bright red, then quickly turned away from you, trying to hide his face in his hands. You were stunned for a second, too, before the biggest grin broke out on your face. You grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so you could look him in the eyes.

“I love you, too,” you said, words full of conviction. You could feel Shadow relax, thanks to your hold on his shoulder. His blush was still present, though it had dimmed to just a light pink on his cheeks, and he wasn't trying to hide it from you anymore.

He placed his hands on your shoulders, gently pushing you closer to his eye level. You gazed into his ruby irises as his left hand drifted to the back of your head, and slowly began to pull you closer to him. Realizing what was happening, you leaned forward and locked your lips with his.

His eyes widened in surprise for a second, but they slowly drifted closed as you continued the kiss. He added his own pressure to the kiss, and you sighed and closed your eyes. The both of you were slowly adding pressure to your kiss, hungry for more, bit not wanting to rush the other. You let out another sigh of bliss.

Soon, though, your lips separated with a small click. The two of you stared at each other for a second, breathing heavily. You said quietly, “I was waiting to hear those words. Thank you.” Shadow blushed, but still had a small smile on his face. After a few more seconds, the two of you glanced away from each other.

Wanting to break the silence, you asked, “So…did I end up surprising you with your gift?”

Shadow laughed. He said between chuckles, “I knew you were getting me a sled, but I wasn't expecting the money or the job. And I wasn't expecting…well, I hadn't planned to say what I did. Or for us to do what we did.”

You smiled. “Well, you surprised me, too. But it was a good surprise.”

Shadow blushed lightly, and smiled. “Yeah…it was.”

Bells began to chime in the distance, causing you and Shadow to both jump. “Oh great, now we're late,” you grumbled. “C'mon! We have to hurry to the courtyard!”

You yelped when Shadow scooped you up into his arms. He handed you the wrist rings Silver had lent him. “Hold on to these. Even if they diminish my speed too much, I'd rather not keep running into walls before I get a new pair.”

You gripped onto the rings and leaned against his chest as he took off. In seconds, you were right outside the courtyard. As Shadow set you back on your feet, you peered in and saw a crowd of citizens milling about, and Silver, who looked nervous and excited.

Shadow slipped the rings back on his wrists, and you reached down to grab his hand, entwining your fingers with his. The two of you walked in and approached Silver, whose face lit up when he spotted you.

“[y/n], Shadow, I was worried you weren't going to make it!,” he exclaimed. “Are you two ready?”

You nodded, while Shadow sighed. “It would help if I knew what I was supposed to be ready for.”

Silver grinned. “Just a party for all the citizens of Arendelle. One with a little bit of magic to add some excitement to it.” With a deep breath, he raised his hands into the air, freezing the fountains into beautiful arcs of ice. Everyone cheered and clapped, which spurred him to stomp onto the ground and freeze the brick ground of the courtyard.

You leaned against Shadow as you tried to keep your balance on the ice. Several Mobians were already gliding around, and you spotted Cream helping the children she was playing with earlier keep their balance.

Silver chuckled as you tried to slide around with your shoes. With a wave of his hand, blades of ice were attached to your shoes, turning them into makeshift skates. “That might help you out,” he told you with a laugh. “Now go skate with your boyfriend. I'll skate with you later, but I want to mingle a bit first.” With that, he skated with ease to a group of Mobians who seemed to be struggling, offering them some magic-made skates.

You and Shadow both blushed, but still took each other’s hands and began to glide around the courtyard. You were a little clumsy at it, but Shadow held onto you, holding you up. You glanced about and smiled at what you saw around you.

Citizens of Arendelle, and Arendelle's cabinet, looking happy and in awe of your brother's magic. Cream, who you saw was wearing several flower crowns and necklaces, surrounded by a group of young friends. Silver, talking eagerly with anyone he could find.

You turned your gaze back to Shadow. Looking at him, you saw how focused he was on supporting you, and on making sure you didn't run into anything. Your heart raced as you looked at him, and your smile grew wider.

As the two of you spun in a circle, you leaned down to kiss him on the lips, a kiss he quickly returned. You could feel eyes on the both of you, but right now, you didn't care. All you cared about was the powerful feeling bursting from your heart.

Love. For Silver, for Cream, for all your friends…but right now, in this moment, for Shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End!
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed the story. Constructive criticism is very much welcome!
> 
> Maybe I'll be inspired to write something else soon, an even better story. Until then, bye!


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